


Fallen Maiden

by Ravell_Aqim



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, Jaune Arc Dies, Post-Volume 3 (RWBY), Pyrrha Nikos Lives, Pyrrha Nikos-centric, Revenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:14:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 127,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26678818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravell_Aqim/pseuds/Ravell_Aqim
Summary: Pyrrha Nikos had been willing to give up almost everything to fulfill her destiny to protect the people of Remnant; almost everything, except the very thing which was taken. Now, driven by loss and regret, she has little room in her heart except for one goal, one destiny: to make Cinder Fall pay for what she has done. Pyrrha lives/Jaune dies post-volume 3 divergence.
Relationships: Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos
Comments: 66
Kudos: 90





	1. Prologue

####  _A Bar in Mistral_

Sal heard the door swing open. He ignored it; it was not an unfamiliar noise. This _was_ a bar, after all.

Just another customer. And he enjoyed this, enjoyed the bar. He enjoyed the ambience, the customers, the atmosphere. It was far more relaxed, far more enjoyable, far less… complicated than his last assignment. While _yes_ , the bar was a front to a degree, this mask was one that sat comfortably, and which brought its own rewards.

“Boss,” he heard one of his boys speak, “slight situation here.” He looked up at the speaker, who nodded in turn towards the figure who’d arrived at the bar. She – for so the figure in a hoodie appeared – hardly seemed the typical crowd, as sedate as the bar was. She seemed young. More to the point, she also appeared to be Human.

That was trouble.

Everyone else in the bar was Faunus. He was Faunus, his boys were Faunus, the bartender was Faunus, the customers were all Faunus. Maybe there was some place, somewhere, where that wouldn’t be an issue.

It was when the establishment was a front for the White Fang.

Most local Humans knew better than to walk in here. And since this place didn’t cause any direct trouble, the local police could be paid off too. Too much trouble, however, and that blind eye could be turned back. That was a situation he would prefer to avoid, both for the sake of the Fang and for his own sake. He was loyal to the cause, but he’d had his recent fill of _trouble_.

The girl was speaking to the bartender, who was shaking his head in turn. It seemed she wasn’t taking no for an answer, or any subtle hints to leave. It was annoying, but he knew he had to intervene. Sal stood, a glance at his boys indicating they were to follow him. He saw clientele beginning to leave as he made his way to the bar. Smart, but another thing he begrudged the human for. The bar may serve another purpose, but it also made good money, and they were losing some tonight. He gestured for his men to spread around the girl, Frank and Jae behind, Big Tom to the other side, while he made his way to the left.

Huh, was that a bunny on that hoodie? It struck a discordant note, an image at odds with where this situation was going.

The bartender was still trying to get the girl to leave. “Look lady, you’re in the wrong place! You should just get out of here!”

“He’s right, kid,” Sal interjected. “It’d be better for all of us – but especially you – if you turn around and leave. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s not going anywhere good.”

Her head snapped round to look at him. He saw glimmering green eyes beneath the hoodie stare at him.

“You have a Valish accent,” she said in a soft voice.

His ears – his _true_ ears – twitched. Soft and gentle as her voice was, there was an edge there.

“Yes, I do,” he replied. “So what? I come from there." Her gaze did not flinch, and as he paused sudden realisation struck. “Is that what this is about?” They'd had to deal with a couple of human hotheads because of Vale. More _trouble_. It’d been… resolved, but too many incidents like that – especially over a young girl – and the local fuzz wouldn’t stay away no matter how many palms were greased.

“I hear you were there,” she coldly stated.

The tone, the certainty. This wasn't some impetuous bigot taking it out on the nearest Faunus. This teenager – she couldn't be much older – knew something and had some personal stake in the matter. He sighed, and glanced once more at his boys, catching their eye. It looked like this was going the ugly way. Good thing the bar was now clear.

“Yeah, I was there, kid. Wasn't a particularly nice experience for anybody. But you don’t want to do this. I'm sure you're hurting, but you'll just get hurt more this way. And it won’t bring back anyone you've lost.”

“I didn't _lose_ anyone. _He_ was taken from me.”

Another sigh. _Trouble_. Sal scratched his head, and Big Tom – now behind her - caught his signal, readying a crowbar.

“Look, kid,” Sal began, but he was caught by surprise as she pulled down her hood.

A young girl, after all. Pretty too, with scarlet – though crudely shorn - hair, and brilliant, emerald eyes. In fact, she wasn't just pretty, she was beautiful, the sort of face that could appear on magazine covers.

Wait, she wasn't just the sort of face that could... she _had_.

“Hang on, aren't you...?” he began asking.

For a brief moment everything seemed to freeze, a sudden stillness when she looked right into him, and she looked he realised that whatever beauty there was in her face, there was nothing pretty remaining in the light in her eyes.

She moved first, a knife suddenly in her hand. She threw it forward, and – as if propelled – it drove into his shoulder and shoved him against the wall. Big Tom made to strike down with the crowbar, but it stopped solid in the air. The girl gestured, and the crowbar was flung back, taking the bear Faunus with it and smacking him into the tables behind.

Frank and Jae responded fast, pulling out their guns and taking aim at the girl. Yet the pistols trembled, and as the girl raised her hand their aim shifted, inch by inch, until they were pointing at each other. They both cried out, before the guns opened fire: once, twice, thrice, and both were down.

Sal looked on in horror, his shoulder burning with pain, as he struggled to pull his own sidearm out. The bartender proved quicker, pulling a firearm out from under the bar. The girl responded, somersaulting over the bar, her arm outstretched in Sal’s direction. He yelled out as the dagger was yanked from his shoulder and _flew_ into her hand.

Her arm moved with blinding speed. The bartender never had a chance.

Big Tom rose again from the ruin of the table beneath him, shaking off the earlier blow. Yet their assailant was quicker, back over the bar and somehow Tom’s crowbar was in her other hand. Big Tom was tough and strong, and made to block the incoming attack, but he proved helpless as she first struck one side, then another. She ducked a punch before kicking out, knocking Tom back with a flash of a broken aura. The crowbar flew… and it was over.

Fighting through the pain and shock, Sal had managed to being his pistol to bear on the girl as she now turned on him. He fired, but the bullet never struck as she flicked her hand. Another movement, and the gun was wrenched from his hand and sent spinning off into the corner. The knife flew once more to pierce his other shoulder, the force of the blow once more driving him against the wall.

As he wrestled against the pain, he looked on her with new eyes. He looked around the bar. His men were dead… killed by…

“You killed them!” he gasped.

Her eyes fixed upon him, she walked towards him. "Those you work for had already turned me into a killer," she spat.

As she drew close, one eye suddenly appeared wreathed in flame. She extended one hand, palm up, and fire appeared. This was no mere illusion, he could feel the heat as it approached his skin, as it got nearer and nearer.

“ _What_ are you?” he asked.

"I? I am simply a young maiden, grieving for my beloved,” she replied. "And I want you to tell me everything you know about Cinder Fall."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I really didn’t expect to write any more fanfiction, but the muse would not leave me along on this one. Obviously a story where a few key events went a little differently from canon. Originally the scene came as a one-shot, but the muse continues to bedevil me, and so I already have drafted scenes, an outline of the whole thing, and the next couple of chapters should be along shortly.


	2. Chapter One: A Maiden's Tears

####  _The Fall of Beacon_

Beacon _burned_.

And it was all her fault.

 _No_. She pushed back against such thoughts. Jaune was right. She trusted him. It was those behind this attack, it was whoever was on that microphone that was responsible for this. She needed to focus on that, if she were to do her part to help defend Beacon and those she cared about.

 _Penny…_ a traitorous thought insisted.

“What is this place?” Jaune asked in confusion. They had entered the vault, running after the Professor Ozpin. Towards her destiny… her possible end.

“It’s a type of vault…” she replied.

“You’ve… been here before?” he asked.

She couldn’t look back. Her thoughts a haze of guilt and regret, of things left unsaid.

“What would this school need to… hide?” he continued.

The Aura transfer machine lay ahead, its other occupant as motionless as ever. Pyrrha continued to follow the headmaster as she realised Jaune had stopped behind her.

“What? Who?” he gasped.

She turned towards him. “Jaune…” she said, unable to explain, the vast bundle of secrets kept, silent fears, bubbling guilts and unexpressed love coiling within her, unable to get out.

“Pyrrha! Get to the pods” Ozpin ordered.

Pyrrha looked once more at Jaune before tearing herself away. So many thoughts were wanting to break through, if she paused to think she would be lost. She dashed over to the empty pod.

“Mister Arc, if you’d like to help, you can stand guard here.” the headmaster said. Jaune turned, assuming a stance.

Pyrrha stood in front of the vacant pod. “What do we do now?” she asked.

Tapping away at the controls of the device, Ozpin sighed. “ _We_ , do nothing,” he said. With a hiss the pod de-pressurised and the hatch rose, a gaping maw. Ozpin turned towards her. “ _You_ , Miss Nikos, have a choice to make.”

She looked at the pod, then turned to look back at Jaune, the symbol, the avatar of all that she feared to lose, all that was holding her back. There was so much she wanted to say to him that she hadn’t. Their last proper conversation… hadn’t ended in a good place.

_Why couldn’t I even simply say that I love you?_

But if she didn’t step up, if she refused to strive towards her destiny, he and all her friends were at risk. This machine might take from her any chance of happiness, might even strip her of all that she was, might even destroy her very soul. But if she declined here, putting everyone – including those she loved – at risk, how would that choice be anything other than selfish?

 _And I don’t deserve happiness_ , she thought. If she’d not hesitated at first, if she’d not murdered Penny, if… if… if…

She decided. A tear came to her eye as she gazed upon the back of the boy she loved. At least this way she’d be able to protect him. She climbed into the pod, misery in her heart as the hatch slammed shut.

The ground shook, a witness to the events occurring above.

“Are you ready?” Ozpin asked.

Not even trusting herself to speak, Pyrrha nodded.

“I… I need to hear you say it,” he said.

“Yes,” she replied in a flat tone. She laid back, awaiting her fate.

“Thank you, Miss Nikos.” He pressed some further controls, and Pyrrha heard the noise of the machine. She continued to wait, and then was bathed in an orange glow.

And pain.

It was agony. It felt like every nerve was on fire, and yet the feeling wasn’t part of her body at all. It felt like needles were pressing all around her, into nerves she didn’t have. She cried out, screaming.

“Pyrrha!” she heard Jaune cry in panic.

“I’m… so sorry.” A faint voice just barely cutting through.

In another time, in another world, perhaps this process would have been interrupted. But it wasn’t. She cried as she felt almost flensed and an intense pressure at the same time, pain everywhere but nowhere. She silently begged for the torment to end before it finally did, the pain ebbing, leaving a mix of strange sensations and an overwhelming fatigue.

Another hiss, and the hatch swung upwards. She saw Jaune hovering nearby, before the headmaster leaned over.

“Miss Nikos, how are you?” In almost a whisper he asked, “Are you still… _you_?”

Sore, she looked at him. How could she know? She felt different, and the same. She then looked back over at Jaune. Her heart clenched as she saw the sorrow in his eyes, the aghast look on his features. But she realised that pain, that worry, was grounded in her care and love for him.

Whatever had changed about her, whatever had happened to her, those feelings had not changed.

“Yes,” she replied to Ozpin. _I am still me_.

“Can you get up?” he asked.

She tried, but the fatigue was overwhelming. She struggled partway before sinking back into the pod.

“I can barely move,” she said. “I’m too tired.”

“That should pass,” Ozpin said, though whether in hope or from knowledge she did not know. “Mister Arc, you will have to lift her out of the pod.”

Jaune rushed to help. He lifted her out and placed an arm under her legs and another under her back. “It’s okay, Pyrrha, I’ve got you,” he said as he carried her.

“You’ll need to carry her to safety, Mister Arc, her survival is paramount. If you’ll follow me?” The headmaster turned to lead them back out the vault, momentarily placing himself between them and the entrance.

Just in time to intercept the arrow aimed at Pyrrha.

Ozpin gasped in pain, taken by surprise, as the glass arrow struck home. Jaune cried out in alarm as he saw the way was now blocked by a dark-haired woman in a red dress, bow in hand, an irritated scowl crossing her features.

“Stay behind me!” Ozpin said with a rasp, lifting his cane into a guard position. “When I tell you to run, Jaune, get Pyrrha out of here! Take her far away and go find Glynda, Ironwood or Qrow!”

“Got it,” Jaune said. Pyrrha felt little but frustration at her helplessness.

The woman smirked and fired a set of arrows in their direction. Ozpin turned his cane and planted it against the floor. A bubble of light sprang up and the arrows glanced off, and the headmaster readied his cane once more.

“Now, Mister Arc!” he said, and launched himself with blinding speed against the woman, wielding his cane like a sword. Faster than eye could track, he forced the woman to the right with a flurry of attacks. Jaune did not hesitate, and ran for the elevator, not daring to look back. Elevator reached, he pushed the button, and they turned to see strobing lights and the flash of battle, an angry scream echoing as the doors slid home.

Once at the ground floor, Jaune rushed outside, heart racing, Pyrrha still in his arms.

“Jaune,” she said softly. “I think I can walk now.”

“You’re sure?” he asked.

“Please,” she insisted.

He let her feet gently to the ground and she stood to bear her own weight. She tried at first, but her legs buckled for lack of energy. He caught her before she fell.

“Here Pyrrha,” he said gently. He placed one of her arms over his shoulder and supported her other shoulder with his arm, allowing her to move on her own feet while bearing most of the weight. They heard a shriek overhead and felt a great movement of air. They looked up to see a vast Grimm, flying around the tower. “Let’s get moving,” said Jaune. “We’ll head to the landing pads.”

Pyrrha nodded as they began moving forward, charting a course through the heaviest of the debris in an attempt to avoid any wandering Grimm. With a free hand, Jaune managed to pull out his scroll. He tried calling a few contacts.

“Miss Goodwitch isn’t responding,” he said. He paused, confusion taking hold on his face more. “Pyrrha, what _is_ going on? What was all of that?”

“I promise I’ll tell you everything when we have time,” said Pyrrha. She’d suffered too much from keeping secrets from him anyway. “But that woman is after a power, a power that has been placed inside of me.”

Jaune gazed at her, dumbstruck, before realisation crossed his eyes. “That’s what you were trying to talk to me about earlier, wasn’t it?” he said. “When you were talking about destiny and I…” he looked down in remorse. She cringed at his haunted expression. That conversation had started so well…

“It was,” she admitted.

“I am so sorry,” he said. “Sorry I hurt you and…”

“Don’t be,” she said, placing a finger on his lips. “I’m sorry I wasn’t clearer, sorry for hurting you…”

She turned to face him.

She’d feared so much in that conversation. And now she had new griefs and regrets piled upon that. But some of those fears had not come to pass. And she knew now even better the precious value of time. _I almost lost my chance to say anything_. But she hadn’t lost her soul. _I am still myself so long as I love him_.

She tried to say something, but it lodged in her throat. She was always better with action rather than words.

 _Time to make my feelings clear_. She lunged forwards, placing her lips on his. It was a light kiss; she lacked the strength to do anything more. She felt him freeze. _In shock? In rejection?_ And then her fears were swept away as he pulled her in and gently returned the kiss.

They broke apart.

“Pyrrha,” he said. “I didn’t know, I wasn’t sure…” And then he smiled. And through all the pain and guilt and emotional fog that clouded over her, that smile was a light. She smiled back.

And then an almighty crash and sound of breaking was heard.

The two turned to look back towards the tower, to see that the giant Grimm had smashed the top of the tower, wreckage falling to the ground in a cloud of dust. There was a deafening screech as the beast, now perched on top of the tower, cried over the ruins of Beacon.

“We’d better get out of here!” yelled Jaune. He looked at Pyrrha once more. “I know you won’t like it, but we’ll go quicker if I carry you,” he said.

She nodded, pragmatism winning over pride, and he picked her up, this time hoisting her across his shoulders. He began moving again, faster this time, weaving his way through debris and wrecked Atlesian mechs, trying to avoid looking at the bodies. They were making better time, Pyrrha figured, not much longer now.

The she caught some motion out of the corner of her eye. “Jaune!” she cried.

He moved just in time, luckily twisting so that the glass arrow passed behind them. He dodged behind more debris, fallen remains of one of the damaged school buildings, and tried to make his way forward, staying low to keep out of sight of the archer. He managed to move far enough to get behind the remains of an Atlesian Paladin before he stopped dead.

Pyrrha saw his dilemma. There was a wide patch of open ground. If they moved across it, they’d be seen for sure. With her in his arms, he had no way to defend himself – or her – against their assailant. If they stood a chance anyway.

“How very touching!” they head a mocking voice call out. She recognised the voice: the same voice that had spoken over the microphone, the same voice that was behind all this death. And if the glass arrow was any indication, the same woman who had faced down – _and beaten?_ – Professor Ozpin.

Jaune laid Pyrrha on the ground. He looked at her, and the open ground in turn. “How are you?” he asked quietly, keeping his voice low.

She tried to life herself off the ground but was overcome by the weakness in her limbs. She gritted her teeth in anger. “Not good, I’m afraid,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

“No need for that,” he replied. They could hear movement approaching. He couldn’t carry her across the gap, but if they stayed here they would be found, sooner rather than later. They dared not even look over the debris, for fear of giving away their position.

“She’s after me,” Pyrrha whispered. “If you go, leave me here, she might not follow.”

Jaune looked horrified. “Pyrrha!” he hissed, a tear in his eye. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I could _never_ do that.”

“Well, what are we going to do?” she asked, cursing once again the weakness that rendered her unable to fight, to do what she was born to do.

He kept his gaze on her, sadness in his eyes.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” called the evil voice, dripping in condescension.

His eyes hardened. He pulled out his scroll once more, making sure to lower the volume. He began trying to call. After what looked like a couple of attempts, he got through to someone.

“Weiss!” he whispered. “We’re between the tower and the landing pads. Pyrrha’s… injured. She can’t move. You have to save her!”

Pyrrha couldn’t hear the response.

“The woman who’s behind all this. I think she’s killed Ozpin. She’s after Pyrrha!”

Another muffled response.

“Don’t worry about me,” he said with a note of resolve. “You have to save Pyrrha! Come quickly!” He hung up.

With dawning horror, Pyrrha realised what he was about to do.

 _No, no, no!! This can’t happen!_ Her gentle knight, her closest friend, the one light in her life on this awful night, was about to throw his life away for _her_ sake!? If anything, it _should_ be the other way around! This couldn’t, _mustn’t_ , be! She didn’t warrant this, didn’t deserve his sacrifice! This was her fault. She’d hesitated. She’d killed Penny.

One nightmare had replaced another.

"Jaune, you _can’t_! You can't beat her! She’ll kill you!" she begged.

He looked at her with such seriousness, the goofiness and awkwardness that so often characterised him utterly absent. “I know.”

It broke her heart.

“I don't know if even you could beat her, Pyrrha, what chance I? I know all I can do is buy time. But if that time can save you….”

A tear rolled down her cheek, as she tried to think of anything, anyway she could change either the situation or his mind. He brushed her tear away as water filled his own eyes.

"It’s okay Pyrrha. Remember, I always wanted to be a hero, to protect those... those I love."

He gave her a brief but gentle kiss.

“Now stay down. You have to stay out of sight,” he said. He unsheathed Crocea Mors and began to scramble away in the direction they came.

He felt surprisingly calm as he moved around the debris. Sad, yes, how could it be otherwise? He’d finally found love, in the person of the kindest, most thoughtful girl he knew. The first person to ever believe in him. And he was about to walk away from that for… well whatever came next. He had no illusions about how this was going to go.

But he was calm also. This was the culmination of all his life’s ambitions. Oh, he’d never save the world, win a great battle, stand alongside his friends, not as he once hoped. But each moment he brought would bring Pyrrha one step closer to safety. That’s what mattered. He owed her so much, how could he give her any less? And if his life’s legacy was Pyrrha’s life? Well at this moment he couldn’t think of any finer cause. She’d believed in him. He believed in her.

He’d best concentrate, couldn’t afford to mess this up, to let her down. He’d moved back the way they came to try and conceal her location. Hopefully Weiss and Ruby would find her.

He took a breath as he prepared to reveal himself. _Remember: Shield up, grip tight, front foot forwards_. He rose from behind the concrete rubble and assumed a proper stance.

Amber eyes had already found his form by the time he opened his mouth.

“Er… hi?” he said. It was hardly a challenge for the ages.

“You?” she asked incredulously. “Do you even realise how out of your league you are?”

“I have an idea,” he muttered.

“Run along. This doesn’t concern you,” said the woman with contempt. She turned away, clearly still intent on searching for Pyrrha. _I must catch her attention. Keep it on me, not on Pyrrha._

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Jaune said in a firmer voice. “I won’t let you hurt my friends.”

“Let?!”

He charged forwards, keeping his shield in position.

Quicker than he expected, she let a glass arrow fly at his face. He managed to raise his shield in time to block, lowering as he kept moving forward. Just before he got in range she somersaulted backwards, her bow disintegrating in her hands. In its place two obsidian swords took shape.

“You really want to do this? Are you that dense? I can take you a piece at a time, make it _really_ hurt,” she threatened.

 _Remember, you can’t win this_. _You can drag it out_. _Maybe even long enough that…_ a sliver of hope suggested.

“If you must,” he said. He assumed a defensive posture.

She came at him then. _Fast_. Faster than anyone had come at him before. He managed to step into the blow, raise his shield to block one sword, move to parry the other. He blocked the first few strikes, but she was so fast, bouncing back from the first blocks to attack from the side. Several blows struck home, aura his only shield. He felt several savage jolts before he was knocked back, sprawled on the ground.

“You’re really little more than an annoyance,” she mocked.

“I’ve heard…” Jaune panted, winded, “… I’ve heard that’s a talent of mine.” Seven sisters will do that to a man.

She rolled her eyes and turned away, intent on finding her true target.

That couldn’t happen.

Jaune pulled himself up again. _Shield up, grip tight, front foot forwards_.

“Want to try that again?” he asked.

She snapped round, furious. One sword vanished, and fire took its place. He ducked right as a fireball flew at him, and kept running, trying to keep ahead of the fusillade of fire the dark-haired woman was now sending at him.

Speed, unfortunately, was not a strength of his. A fireball struck the ground beneath his feet, throwing him into the air and against a pile of concrete. He bounced off and fell on the ground. He winced at the pain as he lay on his back.

“You’re nothing more than a failure with a death wish!” his assailant taunted.

“Not a death wish,” he gasped quietly. He didn’t want to die tonight. He had too much to life for. It was just the price he was willing to pay.

He fought through the pain once again. He didn’t have the skill to compete with her. But he would keep getting up. Again and again and again. Until he could stand no more.

_Shield up, grip tight, front foot forwards._

She surged forwards, fire and fury and glass. Blows rang down from every direction, curses poured down upon his person. He tried to block what he could, even strike back once or twice, but eventually he was thrown back and down.

He knew his Aura couldn’t keep this up. It would break sooner or later. Sooner, actually.

He got up again. _Shield up, grip tight, front foot forwards._

She spat venom at him once more, her amber eyes filled with hatred. He couldn’t make out what she was saying. He focused on the arrows once more headed his way. He blocked one, the rest hit. He fell once more, pain and exhaustion dragging him down.

He got up again. _Shield up, grip tight, front foot forwards._

Pyrrha sat, listening to the fight. She winced as she followed the battle from sound alone. It was going about as well as they both expected. She looked up at the broken mech behind her. Jaune had told her to stay down, and she fears to look. But she can’t stop herself as she reaches up, using the mech to support herself. Pulling herself up, she leans over to try and catch sight, trying to remain hidden, trying to catch sight of Jaune.

She gasped as she saw a last flurry of blows strike him, his aura visibly breaking as he was thrown backwards. She looked on as he lay, prone on the earth, as the dark-haired woman sauntered towards him.

This was torture. Was this what destiny had in store for her? To take away her hard-won strength and skill on the very she needed it? To render her weak, tormented by the murder of her love and the fall of her school, powerless to intervene? Was everything she had worked towards, and the ability to protect those depending on her, to be negated by a mere whim of fate?

Had the device perhaps left her changed after all? What was she without her ability to fight? Her body had betrayed her.

Her body, perhaps, but not her will. She had the will to fight. She had other resources yet, she vowed. She could feel that her aura was unstable, fluctuating in ways that it should not. Another consequence of the procedure, she supposed. But it meant she _had_ aura. She was not yet without strength. She reached out with her semblance.

Pyrrha had always been restrained in her use of her semblance, always disciplined. She preferred to rely upon her skill and ability, only using her semblance to gently tip the balance with care and precision. Her training had focused on delicacy, not power. But such was not possible in her current state. Precision and care needed focus and a degree of serenity. Her mind and feelings were in no condition to employ the usual deftness she’d trained for.

But there were other times. Times when her emotions ran deep and raw, in which a stronger current was revealed. Times when the sheer potential power of her semblance would make itself known in a crude and blunt way. Much as it had earlier that day, in fact.

Pyrrha’s mind was unconscious of this. All she could feel was pain and desperation as the boy she loved was about to die, as she looked on helpless watching it happen. In pure need she called upon the manifestation of her soul, and it answered.

She let go of the Paladin she was leaning on, dropping to her knees, as with an effort of will she caused the broken mech to levitate, and hurled it at the murderous woman.

The woman barely reacted in time. Eyes boggling at the incoming object, she flung herself out of its path. Landing, she locked eyes on Pyrrha, but had to dodge again as Pyrrha _reached_ out, picking up object after object, finding every piece of metal she could and throwing them in turn.

She heard another shriek in the distance, as the giant Grimm atop Beacon tower, its attention aroused by the fight below, cast itself off and swooped towards them. Picking up another Paladin, she sent it flying at the oncoming Grimm. The beast was too large for even such a large object to inflict major damage, but with a loud screech it broke off, swinging to come back around.

And then her unstable Aura gave way.

She sat kneeling, drained, without strength or power, without means to resist. Ignoring the sounds of the beast, she managed to lock eyes on the woman approaching towards her, a bow once more conjured in her arms.

“Still around? You’d have done better to run, but you can’t even do that, can you?” the dark-haired woman said scornfully. She conjured an arrow and drew the bow.

“You really are quite pathetic. They chose _you_ for this power? Even your little boyfriend put up more of a fight. Rest assured, the gift you were promised will be going to someone truly deserving of it.”

Pyrrha looked on, unable to move or do anything to gainsay this woman. She looked into those amber eyes, prepared for the final blow.

And then the woman was smashed aside, as Jaune’s shield collided with her side, Jaune charging into her. He kept up the attack, Crocea Mors swinging in an unremitting assault.

Pyrrha looked on, heart in mouth. She’d seen his Aura break; it couldn’t have recovered that quickly. He was fighting without Aura!

His desperation appeared to lend him new strength, but their assailant was far from beaten. Pulling back, a glass sword once more formed in her hand. She blocked several swings from Jaune’s sword before knocking it out of his hands. She brought her blade back around and stabbed forwards, aiming beneath Jaune’s armour for his vulnerable belly. The sword slid home, Jaune yelling in agony.

“Jaune!” Pyrrha cried. The dark-haired woman looked at her and smirked, twisting the blade, laughing at Jaune’s scream.

Missing the shield he swung at her face.

Still transfixed by her sword, Jaune struck several blows with his shield, a final gesture of defiance. With a shriek of anger, the woman shoved him away, sending him tumbling off her sword. He fell over with a cry of pain, as she summoned fire in her hand. With a final murderous look, she cast it at him one final time.

Pyrrha screamed in anguish, as tears obscured her sight. She felt a rush to her side and another voice call Jaune’s name. And then all was consumed in silver light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s Note: So, this story continues, though revisiting the end of volume 3 was… uncomfortable. The story will move on from that though, and while there’s quite a journey ahead, there is a definite end point as a goal. I don’t intend to have long author’s notes for each chapter, but in this case decided to do so as there’s several significant turning points that really set in motion all that is to follow.
> 
> The initial divergence here is one of those “for want of a nail” situations; Cinder simply isn’t as close to Pyrrha’s location, and so arrives just that little bit later. That was necessary so that Pyrrha would get Amber’s half of the Fall Maiden’s power. Of course, that also changes things: with Pyrrha escaping with that half Cinder doesn’t have time to mess around at the top of the tower, she must chase down Pyrrha instead.
> 
> Ozpin’s fight and loss to Cinder may be controversial, as she doesn’t have the entirety of a Maiden’s power (and some people wonder how she won even when she did). However, in canon her plan is pretty risky and depends on a whole bunch of things going just so: she doesn’t know until she gets to the vault that Amber is stored down there (“This whole time... right beneath our feet. She was right about you.” line from V3E11); she presumably would have had to have Pyrrha and/or Ozpin under observation (Pyrrha, from the looks of the end of V3E10, but if Pyrrha had been eaten by that Nevermore…); and she goes down there after them blind without backup. Sure, in canon she got the shot in time to kill Amber and get her powers, but she couldn’t have known she’d get that opportunity (what if Amber’s pod wasn’t in line of sight of the entrance? Ozpin, a bit of creative furniture arrangement could have solved a lot of problems!). This suggests she had to be reasonably confident that she had a chance of surviving an encounter with Ozpin without such powers (perhaps she had an additional trump card?). Ozpin himself may be powerful, especially with magic, but he has given much of his power to the Maidens and what is left has been diminishing. For that matter, even being a Maiden isn’t a guarantee of victory, considering Cinder, Emerald and Mercury beat Amber. In RWBY generally, power-levels don’t really seem to be a thing. In this case, Cinder won; assume surprise (which seems to work really well in RWBY, considering all those who are blindsided) and luck both played a part, that it was a very near thing and took longer than the canon fight (and so Jaune & Pyrrha get further away). I strongly considered having Ozpin survive, but it took the story in a very different direction from what the muse dictated.
> 
> As for Pyrrha’s condition following the transfer, part of that comes from a feeling that the process of using such an invasive and frankly horrifying device when they didn’t know even what the results would be (sounds like a great plan!) would have at least have some side effects, and I really wanted to avoid the more drastic ones, like the overwriting of Pyrrha’s personality or soul or anything. That’s partly due to plot necessity: I needed this to be Pyrrha, not something else in her body. I also confess one thing I don’t enjoy about the canon plot – which sadly happens here too, of course – is the mental torment that Pyrrha suffers before everything goes down, including the Penny situation, that conversation with Jaune and hanging over all the possibility that she might lose all those connections she’s come to value and even suffer the death of her own personality and soul. And then she dies, having spent her last days unhappy, with so much of that up in the air and unresolved. She doesn’t suffer the fate she feared here, and neither does she die, of course. Not that I wanted Jaune to die either: I want them to both live and be happy, but the muse demands otherwise. However, while this story may go down some dark paths, I feel eventual catharsis is important and this story will in the end work towards that. 
> 
> The temporary weakness also helps resolve the set up: namely that Jaune dies in the place of Pyrrha. If Pyrrha is at all still able to fight, I can’t see her letting that happen. But if she wasn’t able?
> 
> So now the players are set, events ready to move forward, and while some things have played out similarly to canon so far, its rails may be beginning to look distinctly wobbly.


	3. Chapter Two: A Maiden's Wounds

_Vale, after the Fall_

“I don’t like doing this,” Glynda Goodwitch said, her heels clattering as they walked down the hospital corridor.

“I don’t either,” replied James Ironwood, to a scoff from Qrow. “But we need to know what happened. We’ve found Ozpin’s body in the Vault,” he nodded towards Qrow, “and Amber’s. But did he manage to perform the transfer on Miss Nikos or does _she_ ,” he looked around, “now have a new asset? Miss Nikos is our only possible witness.”

“I know it’s necessary, James. I still don’t like it.” They approached their destination, a private treatment room with two guards outside. The guards saluted the general, which he acknowledged, before the party entered the room.

Pyrrha Nikos occupied the bed. She was clearly conscious, and sitting up, but her emerald eyes showed no sign of even being aware they had entered the room. Her red hair was dishevelled, while her hands were clutched around a weapon; not her own, Glynda recognised. Rather it was Mister Arc’s weapon, folded down into its sword and sheath configuration.

 _How close were they?_ Glynda wondered. Partners often became close, of course, and seeing one die in front of you could easily be a traumatic experience. Miss Nikos and Mister Arc had spent a lot of extra time together, though that had been a matter of training as far as she was aware. Mister Arc was lucky his partner was so willing to make up for his deficiencies in combat.

She mentally rebuked herself. Considering how bravely he died – saving Miss Nikos’ life – now was not the time to think ill of the dead, least of all one of her charges. Even if she struggled to imagine he was dead, he and many others.

She'd lost so many students this night. Each one hurt. Each a pupil she couldn't help but feel she'd failed. _These were children! We believed we were guarding the world, and we couldn't even defend our school!_

So many young, brave, souls.

Unfortunately, that didn’t negate the fact that they still had a responsibility. Not with Ozpin gone. _How much more have we lost this night?_

“Miss Nikos,” she began gently. There was little reaction from the girl on the bed. “We’re very sorry for all that has happened this evening, and all that you’ve had to go through. We understand that this is hard, but we needed to speak with you.

“First things first, you do not appear to be significantly wounded yourself, although you’re understandably going through some shock. You should hopefully be able to move under your own strength soon. Your Aura,” Glynda paused. That _had_ been peculiar. “…Your Aura was very unstable, but it appears to be recovering and stabilising.

“As for your teammates: Miss Valkyrie and Mister Ren were both wounded, but not heavily, and will make complete recoveries. You should be able to see them shortly. As for Mister Arc,” Glynda saw Pyrrha’s grip on the scabbard tighten, “his remains have been recovered.”

“We’re very sorry for your loss, Miss Nikos,” James stepped in. “We appreciate that this is hard to bear and that you must be in considerable pain. These are tragic circumstances, particularly with Mister Arc’s sacrifice…”

“You didn't know him!” Pyrrha yelled, taking them by surprise. One eye glowed, appearing wreathed in flame before subsiding. “You didn’t know him,” she continued more softly. “He wasn’t part of your little group. Why did he have to fight? You said you were the protectors of the world. Why couldn’t you protect him? Why couldn’t _I_ protect him? _He_ should be here.” She fell silent once more, tears in her eyes.

They glanced at each other, having seen what they needed to. Glynda nodded towards the door, and both James and Qrow took her hint, stepping outside. Once the door closed, Glynda considered the woman before her. She’d caught the unspoken thought at the end of that sentence. She had to be very careful here. Miss Nikos clearly had much to heal from. Glynda couldn’t provide that, not here and not right now. It’d take time and proper care; care they couldn’t even offer right now. But she could perhaps avoid worsening the wound.

“My apologies, Miss Nikos. There is nothing I can do to make this right. But if there is anything you want or need that we can provide, you simply have to ask for it.” Seeing little further response from Pyrrha, she turned to leave. “That’s a standing offer: you don’t need to answer right now. I’ll leave you in peace and send Miss Valkyrie and Mister Ren to you as soon as they are able.” She reached out to the door handle.

“There is one thing,” Pyrrha said. Glynda turned back round to look at her. “Who was she?”

“Who was who?” Glynda asked.

“The woman on the broadcast. The woman behind this all. The woman who attacked the headmaster, who killed…” Pyrrha choked back a silent sob. “Who was she?”

Glynda hesitated, before deciding to answer. She’d said Miss Nikos just needed to ask: if she wanted answers, what harm could it do?

“We believe she was posing as an exchange student, along with her co-conspirators. We can’t be confident of her real name – it may be an alias – but she went by the name of Cinder Fall.”

Pyrrha faintly nodded, and Glynda turned once more, leaving Miss Nikos to her own thoughts.

Outside once more, Glynda found James and Qrow waiting for her.

“How is she?” James asked. Glynda gestured for them to follow and walked up the corridor, away from the guards and anyone else who might eavesdrop.

“Well, as you saw, Miss Nikos isn’t well,” she said.

“And from the little display we saw in there, Oz’s plan and Jimmy’s machine worked,” said Qrow.

“Yes, that question is answered at least,” said James. “In one sense it’s a relief. But on the other this is still disastrous. We wanted a strong guardian for the Maiden powers. She's in no state for anything.”

“She's not one of your soldiers, James!” Glynda replied. “She's suffered a significant loss.”

“I… I realise that Glynda. But did Ozpin make a mistake in choosing her?”

“Grief can affect even the strongest of souls.” Glynda’s eyes involuntarily flicked to Qrow, to see him silently glaring at James. She looked back at James to find he’d done the same. His expression suggested he’d taken her point. “However,” she allowed, “I think he erred in underestimating Miss Nikos’ attachment to Mister Arc.”

“What was the kid even doing there?” Qrow muttered.

"Precisely my point. Although we should be glad that he was: if he had not been there she would probably be dead, and _the Queen_ would have the Fall Maiden entire." She sighed, reflecting once again upon her students. “I regret that I never thought highly of him. I even wondered why Ozpin had let him into the school. I guess we'll never see what he could have been. But we can honour his sacrifice.”

James understood that at least. Qrow remained his acerbic self.

After a moment to think, James asked the obvious question. “So where do we keep her? Beacon’s out of the question, and Vale hardly seems the most secure place at present?”

“And frankly, Jimmy, I’m not sure we can trust anywhere Atlas is guarding either. Those ships of yours seem awfully _insecure_ ,” Qrow challenged.

Ironwood glared back, but then appeared to withdraw and fall in on himself. Glynda had never seen James look so… so _defeated_.

“I deserve that. I’ve made serious mistakes,” he admitted.

“You think?!” replied Qrow.

Glynda stepped in. “We’ve _all_ made serious mistakes,” she said. “We knew they were here. We knew they’d attacked Amber. We knew they’d infiltrated the campus. We knew they’d had access to the CCT. We suspected interference in the Tournament itself. Our parts may have been different but each of us,” she looked at both in turn, “Ozpin included, had a hand in this failure. And our _children_ paid the price.

“The question is where do we go from here. Starting with that grieving girl back there who happens to have something we know that the enemy wants terribly.”

James was the first to rally, as she hoped he would when faced with a problem and not self-recrimination. He looked once again at Qrow.

“There's one possibility,” he suggested

“What?” asked Qrow. He looked back at Ironwood. “Why are you looking at me?”

“Patch.”

“Oh, hell no!” Qrow said angrily.

“One of _us_ needs to guard her,” replied James. “Somebody _in_. Glynda’s going to be busy here. And I… I’ll need to answer to the Atlesian council. For the time being, that leaves you.”

“Tai does not need this on his head right now!” insisted Qrow.

“I'm sure he doesn't. Patch is still the best place: it’s out of the way, and we're already sending one high value target there.”

“That's my niece you're talking about!” growled Qrow.

“Yes, and we want to keep her safe too! That’s what James meant,” Glynda interceded. A brief glance at James confirmed that was indeed the case. His heart was in the right place, after all, even if he had all the tact of an Ursa and a crippling inability to speak to civilians. “You'd need to guard Miss Nikos anyway. This way you'll be close enough to help protect Ruby too.”

Qrow looked somewhat mollified, though it was clear that not all his objections had disappeared.

“We're not necessarily talking the same household anyway,” Glynda continued. “You're right, Mr. Xiao Long doesn’t need that right now. But we can arrange for you and Miss Nikos to stay nearby. Along with what remains of Team JNPR.”

“JNPR?” both James and Qrow asked.

“I don't think it's good to separate them right now. If we want Miss Nikos to recover, I think we'll need her teammates to stay close to her.”

James nodded. After a moment, Qrow nodded too, with a shade more reluctance.

“And what about...?” he asked.

“ _He_ will have to wait for now,” said Glynda. “Hopefully, he'll try to contact us. Though in the meantime, I believe we have a lot of other matters resolve.” She turned to leave, the other two falling into step with her.

Their responsibility hadn’t ended tonight, and there was much more to consider. They’d made a decision, though, and hopefully – given time and in due course the proper care – Miss Nikos would be alright

_Patch_

The kid was not alright.

Sure, it was early days. Grieving was only to be expected. He thought she might be like the other two: quiet, subdued.

But she didn’t say a damn word.

They’d made it to Patch, with the short ginger girl and the black-haired boy with the weird streak – Valkyrie and Ren, strangely even his friends seemed to call him that – in tow, and perhaps there was a vain hope that it’d lead to some improvement in Nikos’ condition.

Well she was up and about now. Which Qrow would have taken as a good sign. Were it not for the fact that she spent every waking moment training. And when she wasn’t training, she’d spent the time checking and re-checking her weapons. Well, hers or Arc’s. She’d kept his weapon close by her.

He was pretty sure this wasn’t healthy. Unpleasant memories: he needed a drink.

Okay, he wasn’t an expert on healthy. And it might be another factor. Maybe it was Jimmy’s machine, they never quite knew what it would do. Or maybe she was always like this? She was hurting, that much was obvious, but how much was grief, and how much was normal behaviour for the kid? He didn’t exactly know much about her; Oz had given his brief description, and his only encounter was when she was brought in on the guardian thing. Not really enough to go on.

The concerned glances Valkyrie and Ren shot each other whenever Nikos passed suggested something had changed, however. How they said so much without saying anything he didn’t know. He wasn’t cut out to be a babysitter. He’d told Tai that many times, though he’d had to keep an eye on his nieces due to their propensity to find their own trouble.

More unpleasant memories. He shook that from his head. Concentrate on the problem before him.

He looked out of the window to see Nikos training once again, their makeshift training dummy once more taking a beating it was not meant to endure.

“Has she always been like this?” he asked the odd couple.

They looked at each other. He sighed.

The ginger snap spoke up. “No, never,” she said. They fell silent again.

“Look kids, if we’re going to help her, I need to have some idea what we’re dealing with. What was she like before all this?”

Valkyrie spoke again. She seemed the more talkative of the two. “Pyrrha is kind, and selfless, and generous, and nice.” The ginger had tears in her eyes as she spoke. “Almost too nice most of the time.”

Qrow looked back out the window, to see Nikos hack the training dummy apart for a third time in as many days. Okay, it looked like she was behaving very abnormally.

Maybe it _was_ Ironwood’s infernal invention. But that wasn’t exactly something anybody could help with. And there was an entirely more familiar possibility. He though back to Tai after Summer’s death. More unpleasant memories

“How close were Nikos and Arc anyway?” he asked.

The two glanced at each other again. Were they telepathic? He’d dismiss the possibility, but there were so many semblances out there, not to mention what he could do thanks to Ozpin.

“They were close,” Valkyrie replied. “We were all close. Jaune was part of our family.”

“I get that,” he said, with some gentleness. “But she’s taking it much rougher than you are.”

“Pyrrha trained Jaune. I know Jaune thought of her as his closest friend. She…” Valkyrie broke off and looked at her dark-haired partner.

“Can you help her?” Ren simply asked.

“I don’t know,” admitted Qrow. “But I don’t think anyone can help her much unless they know what she’s going through.”

Ren looked back at Valkyrie, who picked up the thread.

“She loved him. Like loved-loved him.”

“Did he return it?” Qrow asked.

“He didn’t know. He never noticed,” said Valkyrie.

“Are you sure?”

Valkyrie looked thoughtful. For once she didn’t look at her partner.

“Pretty sure,” she eventually replied, “although he was a little different after the dance; I think he was beginning to like her too. But I’m not sure about the end. They had some time alone together during the tournament, right before the final fight. And then during the battle she dashed off and he followed…”

Right to Jimmy’s machine, which Oz promptly stuck her in. She had to have had trepidation about that; they hadn’t hidden the fact that they didn’t know everything the machine might do, all but told her it might erase her soul. And then she’d had to jump right in during the middle of a catastrophe. And then the pair had to make their escape while being hunted by an assassin. Young love, facing the risk of death or worse, precisely the sort of time when one might think – rightly – that you might never have another opportunity, and had to make certain things clear.

Understandable really. People did such things when they felt they had nothing left to lose. But then it turned out that they did have something to lose, and promptly lost it, and everything became emotionally messy.

Arc had died for her. Possibly right after they’d made things “clear” between them.

He mentally cursed. Of course, there might be more to it than that. If Valkyrie were right about this girl being so nice, her starring role in the destruction of Jimmy’s little android girl can’t have gone down well either. Who knows what else was lying beneath those waters? But he felt he had some part of the puzzle at least. He just didn’t know what he could do about it. He wasn’t a therapist.

He saw tears in Valkyrie’s eyes again, and even her impassive partner seemed a little affected. Qrow reminded himself that all these kids were grieving, and he had to be careful not be his usual self. But he felt these two would heal, given time. They were grieving, but they were healthy and had each other. But Nikos wasn’t healthy, and needed help. And the only ‘solution’ he knew – and it wasn’t a great one – came from a flask. Not really something he should offer to an 18-year-old girl, and if he did Goodwitch would kill him.

He’d send a message to Goodwitch. She had to have some professionals lined up.

With the CCT down communications were rough, but Patch to Vale wasn’t intercontinental, and so was at least possible in a timely fashion.

Not that the reply was too helpful. Goodwitch had already suspected something along those lines. In retrospect, Nikos’ performance at the hospital was probably a big clue. Goodwitch was smart, he’d give her that, and probably caught onto it. It didn’t mean she was any help, of course: she indeed had a professional lined up, but only when it was safe to return Nikos to Vale.

He chewed her out about that, that the girl needed therapy and that it was better to get it sooner rather than later. Goodwitch had replied that what both the girl and they really needed _right now_ was to not get killed by Salem’s cronies. He couldn’t really rebut that point. She expressed the hope that they could stabilise things in Vale soon, and then get the girl the help she clearly needed.

Which didn’t change the situation that the girl needed _something_ now, and that he wasn’t a counsellor. It was clear that Valkyrie and Ren didn’t really know what to do either; after all, that’s why they’d eventually confided in him. These feelings were poison in her veins and if they left things too long, she might just crawl into the bottle all by herself.

He looked out the window once more to see her at work on the training dummy. That was the other aspect, he supposed. She was hurt, but she was also angry. A lot of possible targets for that, some healthier than others. Herself, undoubtedly – he thought again of what she said at the hospital – and that was the really unhealthy one. One he understood all too well, alas. But there were other targets also: those behind the attack, for instance. They were a bit out of reach, though he supposed the training dummy was serving as an inadequate substitute. Then there was he, Ozpin and the others; that would be understandable too, and her diatribe at the hospital suggested something along those lines. Ozpin was… a bit out of reach. But he was here. Perhaps a live target would help, given some safeguards. Give her a chance to get some anger out of her system with a good fight.

His mind made up, he grabbed Harbinger and made his way outside. Ren and Valkyrie were already outside keeping an eye on Nikos, which served his purposes well. Nikos was by the dummy, dressed in her bronzed armour and wearing her distinctive scarlet sash, while her long red hair was drawn up in her typical ponytail. From this angle she looked much as she had on the day he’d met her.

“Hey Nikos, fancy a live opponent?” he asked.

She snapped towards him. It’s when you saw her face that you could see the difference. Her expression was a mask: no polite smile, nor even the genuine confusion and worry he’d seen when they’d revealed the truth about the Maidens and Amber’s comatose form in the vault.

But it was her green eyes that most worried him. They weren’t dead, by any means, though they had lost a lot of their previous light. But there was something boiling behind them, something indistinct that had yet to take its final form. He worried as to what that might be. From his experience, it didn’t look like anything good.

She nodded.

“Good,” he said. “School rules: get knocked into the red, or too far afield, and the fight is over. Got it?”

She nodded again.

“Excellent.” He took out his scroll at threw it at Valkyrie, who caught it adroitly. “You two keep an eye on our Aura levels and say when.” Following his lead, Nikos passed her scroll to Ren. “No gunfire either; we don’t want to disturb the locals too much”. Or attract too much attention.

“Break his legs, Pyrrha!” Valkyrie cheered. Qrow hoped Ren was at least a bit more sensible.

Qrow and Pyrrha moved away from the training dummy into clearer ground and readied their weapons, he with Harbinger in its greatsword form and Pyrrha with her javelin and shield. They glanced at their impromptu referees, awaiting the signal, and the signal was given.

Pyrrha launched herself at Qrow. He dodged several lunges from her javelin before she switched it into its sword configuration and swept forward in several slashing attacks. Oh, Nikos was good. He’d rarely come across a student as good as this: fast, precise, agile.

Of course, he wasn’t without skill himself. Skill and a considerable amount of experience. He ducked her initial attacks before he began parrying with Harbinger, bringing the blade round with far greater speed than might be expected for its size. He blocked several strikes from Nikos’ sword, before dodging back to avoid a blow from her shield. He twisted and spun round, converting that momentum into a sweeping attack from Harbinger, forcing Nikos to dodge back herself.

They re-engaged, matching blow for blow, block for block. He could sense Nikos getting a little frustrated, however. As fast and as skilled as she was, her attacks were not quite striking as she wished they would. A slip here, a bit of poor ground here, it was if her luck was running against her, just putting her off her game. Which of course it was. Misfortune, Qrow’s aptly named semblance, was placing its invisible hand on the scales.

Mind you, Qrow realised, Nikos had a little something of her own going on, the way his weapon would shift just so and miss her, or the way it’d feel a slight pull that slowed a swing. Her semblance, he realised. Of course, in all likelihood her semblance would consume Aura, while his – all things being normal – didn’t. His semblance didn’t switch off. Even when he wanted it too.

It was the bane of a happy life, a peril for those close to him. But it was very handy in a fight. And it meant that this fight was simply a matter of time.

Her frustration was clearly getting to her, as she swung her sword in a savage arc, and then kicked out as she turned. He took the hit, then ducked aside once more as her weapon, once more a javelin, stabbed forward. He struck several times with Harbinger, driving Nikos back as she blocked with her shield. He hoped she was getting at least some anger out of her system. She was becoming more aggressive than Winter, and that was saying something, not that he’d ever admit it.

He thought back to his interactions with a certain Ice Queen. He confessed he enjoyed the reaction, the sheer fury he could provoke…

Huh. Perhaps using this fight to try and work _off_ Nikos’ anger was a _bad_ idea?

He glanced at her. The mask had fallen away, a scowl in its place, while her emerald eyes glared at him. He had but a moment to look before Nikos’ shield came flying at his face. He parried it with Harbinger, then saw it fly back to her hands. She was getting more extravagant with her semblance. He moved to close with her, to bring his semblance back into play.

He felt a tugging on Harbinger, as before. Then the tug became a pull, and then became a yank, as the blade was pulled upwards with great force. He tried to keep hold of his weapon but let go when it became clear that he’d be propelled upwards too. Harbinger flew across the clearing, smacking against a tree.

Okay, _that_ was new. Well, he could fight hand to hand. He dashed in, launching several punches. She ducked a couple, then met one with her shield. Okay, shield beats fist. She struck back with her shield several times, before spinning and striking out with her sword. He jumped back, then jumped in again to strike at her back. She kicked out, stopping his attack, but slipping on some unfortuitous leaves. He took his chance and leapt towards Harbinger, rolling so that he came to his feet right by it. He plucked up his weapon once more as Nikos, back on her feet, advanced towards him. A savage yank, and he felt Harbinger once more being pulled upwards by an unseen force.

“Stop!” yelled Valkyrie.

Nikos froze, but Qrow turned to the diminutive redhead.

“What? Why? Our Auras weren’t in the red” he asked. Sure, the fight might _not_ have been serving the purpose he’d hoped for it, but he had his pride, and while Nikos had gained the edge at the end there he still thought he could take it.

“There’s a message on your scroll for you,” Valkyrie replied, unperturbed, a smile on her face. “Ruby’s awake!”

She could hear the rustle of the trees outside, and the sound of birds. She could feel sunlight warming her skin. She slowly opened her eyes, to see her father, Taiyang Xiao Long, asleep on a chair.

Ruby Rose sat up with a quiet sigh. The noise caused her dad to stir, twitching. He opened his eyes – she saw they were red-rimmed – and turned to look at her, blinking.

“Ruby!” he shouted with joy. He dashed over to her bed and knelt. “You’re awake!”

“Ugh,” she groaned, still a little sleepy. “What happened?”

“You fell unconscious at Beacon. Your uncle Qrow and your friends found you, though, and you were brought home here safe.” He thought for a second. “I’d better let them know you’re awake!” he said, tapping a brief message on his scroll.

Ruby cast her mind to what she could remember. Fighting, Beacon in ruins, Grimm, White Fang, her sister…

“Wait! Yang!” she cried out. “Is she alright?”

Her dad looked down for a moment, tense. “Uh… She’s uh… she’s going to be alright. I think she’s just… I think it’s just going to take some time for her to get used to things. She’s too strong to let this stop her,” he said, as if trying to convince himself. His head fell into his hand, and sniffled, before he looked back at Ruby, with a more genuine smile. “I’m just glad to have my girls back at home.”

“What’s happened to the school?! And Vale?! Were they able to clear out the Grimm?” Ruby asked.

“Things at Vale are under control, but the school… it’s… it’s not that simple. That thing, whatever it is, doesn’t seem to be quite dead. Don’t get me wrong, you did a number on it, especially when it fell like a stone. But it’s not disappearing. It’s… kind of… frozen. I know it doesn’t sound too bad, but it’s still attracting Grimm to the school. Maybe once they move it, or blow it up…”

One part of that answer leapt out at Ruby. “I did… what?” she asked.

“Hmm?”

“You said I did a number on it. What do you mean?”

Her father looked torn, stricken. “I… look, that’s not important right now. We can talk about it later.” What could be bothering him, why couldn’t he give her a straight answer? “Things are just… kind of a mess.”

She didn’t know what to make of that answer, tilting her head as she looked at him.

“Hey,” he said, transparently changing the subject. “Your uncle Qrow and your friends should be here soon. They’re staying nearby.”

“Weiss?! Blake?!” she asked. She wasn’t sure why they’d be staying with uncle Qrow, but she would be glad to see her friends.

“No,” admitted her father to her disappointment. “They had to leave. Weiss’ father took her back to Atlas, and Blake left too. Yang can tell you more when… when she’s up to it.”

She heard the front door, and footsteps as someone ran up the corridor, more following. Uncle Qrow came into the room, a little breathless. His eyes alighted upon her, and seemed to brighten a bit, a slight smile appearing on his face. He paused for a moment before realisation crossed his features, and he moved out of the way, allowing the others in. The room became crowded as Nora, then Ren, and finally Pyrrha filtered into Ruby’s bedroom.

“Pyrrha, you’re okay!” Ruby said, relieved that they’d saved her. Pyrrha looked at her blankly, confusing her at first, until she looked back over team JNPR.

Nora… Ren… Pyrrha…

“Jaune!” she cried, remembering the _last_ thing she saw that night. Jaune lying on the ground, Cinder with fire in her hand. Her first friend at Beacon…

She burst into tears.

Her father reached out, but it was Nora who was first to move, almost leaping at Ruby and hugging her. Ren joined her a moment later, a lighter touch. Then another set of arms encircled them, as Pyrrha joined them.

“C’mon Tai, let’s give them a moment,” said Qrow, as he gestured for the corridor. Both left, allowing the friends some space.

As Ruby sobbed, she could feel Nora’s tears and feel the others shaking too. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t quick enough to save him.”

Nora pulled back to look at her, but it was Pyrrha who spoke first, to the others’ evident surprise.

“It’s not your fault, Ruby,” she insisted with a quiet passion. “You tried to save him.” The friends sat down on her bed, arranging themselves around her.

“But if I’d just gotten to him in time…”

“No one can blame you for what happened that night. You tried to save him. There are others who bare the blame…” Pyrrha trailed off. Nora reached out to her, clasping her hand. “Myself, for one.” Pyrrha whispered.

“Pyrrha, that’s crazy!” said Nora.

“Not that crazy,” Pyrrha whispered. “Jaune had faked his transcripts; I knew, he told me. It was one of the reasons I was training him. Part of me wishes I’d never done so, that I’d let him be expelled. It would have destroyed him, but he’d still be alive.”

“We’d already kind of figured that out, Pyrrha,” said Ren, a glance at Nora making clear he spoke for both of them. “And I’m sure Ozpin did too. And yet he let him stay and made him our leader for a reason, and we believed in Jaune too. Training him was a good thing. If you hadn’t, you might be dead.”

“I deserve to be,” said Pyrrha faintly, to her friends’ horror. “I… I was too weak that evening. I… accepted a responsibility, but it left me too weak to defend myself. Jaune had to carry me, had to defend me, when I should have been defending him. If… if I’d pushed for it sooner, I could have been strong enough, good enough. But I wasn’t. And the whole thing would never have happened if I hadn’t…” she broke into tears, looking at Ruby, “if I hadn’t killed Penny. Sorry Ruby, it’s all my fault…”

Nora drew Pyrrha into her arms, as Ruby reached out for her hand, concern in her eyes.

“No, it isn’t, Pyrrha,” Ruby said. “I’m trying to remember all that happened that evening, but I remember we spoke about this. Penny’s death was not your fault. Jaune told you that. Trust him. It’s those behind all this who are to blame. People like Cinder.”

It was like a switch had been hit. “Cinder Fall?” asked Pyrrha, a new edge in her tone. “You saw her?”

“Briefly,” said Ruby, trying to blink back _that_ memory. “But I recognised her. It was her.”

The friends had sat quietly then, shedding some tears, sharing some comfort and some sporadic words. Pyrrha was grateful. She’d said more in this room than she had in a while, Ruby’s grief and guilt calling to her own, and allowing her this brief opportunity to connect with her closest friends. It didn’t still the storm inside, but it allowed some brief relief.

And focused her thoughts.

“Hey kids,” Qrow stood in the doorway once more. “Sorry to break this up, but I need to borrow Ruby for a few minutes.” Nora audibly complained, but Qrow was firm. “Don’t worry, she’s not going anywhere. We can come back tomorrow. I just need a brief chance to speak and then Ruby needs time with her family.”

After saying brief goodbyes, Nora, Ren and Pyrrha left the room. As Ren and Nora made their way to the living room, however, Pyrrha hung back. She figured that Qrow was about let Ruby in on some of the secrets his group held. But which? They clearly knew more than they’d let her know, despite her close involvement, and if she’d known more perhaps she would have been prepared. Jaune hadn’t known much of their secrets at all – she never got the chance to explain things – and those secrets had claimed his life anyway.

She silently moved back towards Ruby’s room, straining her ears to listen. After some pleasantries, she was rewarded when Qrow started speaking about myths and legends. True to her suspicions, however, he said nothing of the four Maidens, despite how crucial a part of the puzzle that was. Instead he spoke of silver-eyed warriors. The power, apparently, which Ruby possessed and had called upon that night. _How much more are they not telling either of us?_ she wondered.

She kept listening, hoping for some precious secret to come spilling out. And then it did. The trail for their enemies – for _Cinder Fall_ – led to _Haven_. Haven… _Mistral_ of all places! She knew at that moment that that is what she had been waiting to hear. The key that was to lend shape to the thoughts that had been brewing in her mind. This is what she needed!

She’d best avoid being caught eavesdropping, lest it sabotage the plans beginning to take shape in her mind. She walked back down the corridor to rejoin Ren and Nora.

Qrow had come back just minutes later and lead the party back to their cabin while they left Ruby to spend time with Taiyang and Yang. Pyrrha had fallen back into silence. She’d become accustomed to it, and now felt a little drained from the conversation in Ruby’s room. She could feel Nora’s eyes upon her and Ren’s concern. She wished she could reach out to them once again. She did care for them, and they for her. But she just couldn’t speak. Something was broken inside her, empty. And whenever she closed her eyes all she could see was Jaune and… that woman. Smirking, laughing.

It was still light when they got back, and true to her routine Pyrrha had resumed training outside. She knew Ren and Nora – not to mention their minder – kept an eye on her, but she appreciated the privacy, especially as her mind worked over the implications of what she had learned.

 _Haven. Mistral. Cinder Fall_.

She once again savaged the training dummy, refusing to hold back her blows. Her physical strength had returned, her debilitation from that night having passed. Likewise, her aura had stabilised – indeed it was stronger than ever – although it still felt a little odd at times.

The bout with their watchman had been enlightening in one way. She’d rarely trained her semblance with an eye for raw power, preferring to keep it hidden, a subtle trump card suited for the tournament circuit. That had to end. No more restraint. She could not afford to limit herself, not for lethal combat with real stakes.

Breaking out of her earlier habits was difficult, but she knew it was possible. That night, when all her other strength failed, it was her semblance that had shown its true potential. She needed to be able to develop that, to call upon it again. Her frustration in the bout against Qrow had proved useful, she’d found. While it was difficult to push her semblance in new ways at first, rage… rage made it easier.

Rage she had aplenty, and she used in that bout, but till now it has been unfocused, lashing out at anything in reach: herself, Qrow, Ozpin, almost anyone.

But little by little, those feelings have crystallised. Jaune’s words to her in the Arena, Miss Goodwitch’s in the hospital, Ruby’s words upon waking, and the crucial words she overheard from Qrow. And above all else, the sight she saw whenever she closed her eyes.

As she smashed the latest incarnation of the training dummy, she imagines it with a face, beautiful but cruel, with dark hair, and amber eyes.

That smirk, that laugh.

This is just a dummy. It gave no relief, no matter how hard she hit it. But the real object is in sight. _Haven_ , _Mistral_ , these are places she knew. Achievable places, places she could go. It was only a matter of going.

Qrow wouldn’t let her go, of course. Qrow, Goodwitch, Ironwood: they’d want to keep her under lock and key, believing they were doing the best thing while letting others die for their secrets. They’d place on a new pedestal, but one hidden with bars and locks, leaving her as powerless as she had been that night. Had Jaune died for that?

Jaune had in the end given her everything. Given his life for her. She’d go to the ends of the earth for him. Could she not go to Mistral to avenge him? To kill that murdering bitch and prevent her from taking anyone else?

She’d already killed. She’d murdered Penny. Oh, she hadn’t meant to do it, she’d been manoeuvred into it, but the blood – metaphorically speaking – was on her hand anyway.

Better for that blood to be from those who deserved it. From those who engineered Penny’s death. From those who attacked Beacon. From the woman who murdered the man she loved. And make her stop, make her pay for what she had done.

There was one more factor: one more tool she had to develop that she was becoming aware of. She glanced around, making sure there were no other observers. Ren, Nora, Qrow, fortunately all were looking elsewhere.

She concentrated, and opened her hand, palm up.

Ice briefly manifested in the centre, a small ice storm. Then it was blown away, as fire took its place, hot and piercing. She sensed more was possible, but fire was easiest. After all, it was fire that she felt inside.

She was ready.

Yesterday had been a good day, Qrow concluded. So good he’d managed to restrain himself from having his usual breakfast this morning, and have something solid. Ruby had woken up, something which genuinely warmed his heart. And it wasn’t just good for him, but it had been good for the kids too. Not just for Valkyrie or Ren either. Nikos had actually opened up; he’d even heard her speaking. She still wasn’t alright, and he still hoped to expedite some therapy, but perhaps some more daily doses of Ruby would help the kids cry it out and help Ruby too. He’d check with Tai, find a good time. Maybe they could even help Yang too?

He heard some extremely loud yelling, and then a series of thuds, emanating from the room containing his charges. What were those kids up to? He wagered it was Valkyrie; he was beginning to think that he’d seriously misjudged her, and that she was nowhere near as quiet as he first thought. He doubted it was Ren, and it certainly wouldn’t be Nikos.

More yelling, more thuds, and approaching this way. True to form, Valkyrie plowed into the room, Ren apparently caught in her wake.

"Pyrrha's gone!" she yelled. “She’s taken her gear, Jaune’s stuff too! She’s gone!”


	4. Chapter Three: A Maiden's Trail

####  **_Patch_ **

Goodwitch was going to have his head.

“She’s what!?” he yelled.

“Pyrrha’s GONE!” Valkyrie yelled back in distress. “Gone! Gone! GONE!”

He pushed past the kids to look into their room for himself. Sure enough, there was no sign of Nikos, nor her weapons and armour. She’d packed and left.

How could he have been so blind? How could he have allowed this lapse? He’d thought their little moment had done some good, and hell, based on her previous state he didn’t think Nikos had it in her to charge off anywhere. One little slip, and this was the consequence!

He’d fail her. Just like he failed Amber. Just like he failed…

A thought struck his mind, an unpleasant one indeed. Where was Nikos going? Was she planning on…?

Ren caught the expression on his face and grabbed his shoulder. “I don’t think she’s left to do _that_ ,” he said.

He turned and looked at the boy, feeling somewhat calmer but still worried. “Are you sure?”

“Like Nora said,” Ren replied, “she’s taken her weapons, her armour, some clothes. We’ve checked. She packed to travel.”

He allowed some small relief to pass over his body. She likely hadn’t done something stupid… well, more stupid. She had still gone rogue, unguarded from Salem’s assassins. They had to find her!

“Valkyrie, you said she’s taken Arc’s weapon too?” he asked. That was strange, though she’d become quite attached to it. Had even been training with it.

The ginger girl nodded from beyond the doorway. “Yes.” A thought crossed her mind. “Could she be trying to go to Jaune’s funeral?”

“That’s not for another week,” he replied, then saw the expression on the kids’ faces. Of course, no one had told them.

“Do you think we could have gone?” asked Valkyrie, in a quiet voice.

“I’d have done my best to get you there,” he replied. “Nikos… that would have been a bit more difficult, I was going to cross that bridge when I got to it."

Where could she have gone? Arc’s funeral was a possibility, but then why take _her own_ weapons? And why not simply ask him about it first, if only to get information. Of course, up till yesterday she hadn’t said anything.

Yesterday… was there anything said yesterday that set her off?

“I need to speak to Ruby,” he said. He glanced at the kids. “And you're coming with me.”

“Why?” asked the ginger girl with an edge.

“Because if I turn my back on you, you're going to charge off after her!”

The set expression on the girl's face said everything. Ren seemed more passive – Qrow was coming to realise he was _good_ at that – but Qrow would bet anything that he had the same intent.

They didn't say anything.

“Look, _we're_ going to go after her,” he admitted. “But we need to do this right. Do either of you have the first clue as to where you'd find her?”

Valkyrie looked lost at that point and reached towards the boy. "No," Ren admitted with some chagrin.

“So come with me to Ruby's house. And then we'll pack, and _all_ go and look for her, _together_. But until we go, I'm not letting another one of you damn kids out of my sight.”

He kept an eye on them as they made ready to leave.

“Pyrrha’s _gone_?” Ruby whispered.

“Packed and left, Ruby,” Qrow clarified. He didn’t want her to get the wrong end of the stick. There was too much grief involved as it was.

“Where did she go? We’ve got to find her!”

“We do, and that’s what we need to find out. Now her first step would be to get off this island, and I’ll check, but I imagine we’ll find someone close to her description has already taken a flight to Vale.”

“Vale?” asked Valkyrie with some eagerness.

“It’s the quickest and most reliable way off Patch right now,” Qrow explained. “But don’t get your hopes up: Vale is a big place, and from Vale she could go all sorts of places.”

“Her own home?” suggested Ruby

“It’s possible,” he said. “There’s a couple of options. But she ran last night, which suggests it might have been something yesterday that caused her to go. Now she’s not said a word to me, but I know she spoke to the three of you yesterday, and I’m hoping that might give us some clue.”

The three looked visibly uncomfortable.

“Look, I don’t like asking any more than you like telling, but we’ve got to narrow the options down if we’re to have a hope of finding her and helping her. Please, you three are the only people she’s really spoken to, the only three who might have a clue as to what she’s thinking.”

“I… I apologised for not saving Jaune,” Ruby answered. “She told me it wasn’t my fault, she blamed herself. She blamed herself for everything, for Jaune, for Penny, for all of it. She said she deserved to be dead.”

Qrow’s earlier alarm returned tenfold. The girl was in a worse place than he thought. And of course, guilt whispered, any earlier conversations implying the fate of the world rested on her shoulders were probably doing a number on her. He looked again at Ren, hoping once again for reassurance.

“She packed to travel,” Ren insisted. “And that wasn’t the end of the conversation.”

“I told her it wasn’t her fault,” said Ruby. “Reminded her of what Jaune told her. That it was Cinder Fall who was to blame.” Ruby paused in thought. “Do you think she’s gone to Haven?” she asked innocently.

“Haven? What’s in Haven?” asked Valkyrie

Qrow brought his hand to his face. _Was that it?_

“When I spoke to Ruby yesterday, did Nikos follow you into the living room?”

“She was a bit behind us… I guess,” replied Valkyrie. “I don’t know, I thought she needed to use the bathroom...”

 _Nikos had been listening in._ He was sure about it. He’d underestimated her and made another slip.

“What’s so important about Haven?” Valkyrie asked with suspicion. Ren looked on with a sharp gaze. Ruby was visibly confused, unaware she’d given away any great secret.

“Haven’s where our enemy’s trail leads,” he confessed. “I told Ruby because I was planning on taking her with me when I went.”

“And you didn’t tell us?” asked Valkyrie angrily.

“No! You three were never meant to go. Nikos certainly wasn’t, she has to be kept safe, and in any case needs help. I was going to make sure she was safe in Vale before I went. And you two were going to go with her.”

“But that woman killed Jaune!” Ren hissed, taking Qrow by surprise. The boy was normally so impassive. For _him_ to reveal his emotions in this way… what effect would the same knowledge have on _Nikos_?

She’s gone to Mistral, to Haven. Qrow was certain of it.

“Why’s Pyrrha so important anyway?” asked Ruby.

“What?” Qrow blurted, his thoughts interrupted.

“Why’s Pyrrha important. You said she has to be kept safe. Why her?”

Qrow sighed. They’d wandered into secrets no one was meant to know. But on the other hand, if these kids were now mixed up in this business then they needed to know. And it wasn’t as if Oz was around right now to approve.

“Let me ask you kids: what is your favourite fairy tale?”

The three young hunters-in-training listened as Qrow gave an… abbreviated version of the truth behind the four maidens. That there were indeed four girls who had magical powers, and who passed them on upon death. That someone had attacked the Fall Maiden, stolen half her power, and left her dying. And that Pyrrha Nikos had been entrusted with the remaining half, to keep it safe and out of the hands of the one who attacked her.

“Cinder Fall?” asked Ruby.

“It’s a safe bet,” said Qrow. Wait, he realised, Cinder _Fall?!_ Either that was a hell of a coincidence or they weren’t even trying to hide, he thought with disgust. _Did we just not look?!_

“Is that why Jaune…?” asked Ruby.

“It’s why Cinder was trying to kill Nikos. I don’t know how much Arc knew, and in the end I don’t think it mattered that much to him: he died to protect her, just as I guess she would have done for him. I think that’s part of what has her so torn up.”

Valkyrie was tearing up again, and Ruby was subdued. Ren, however, got to the heart of the issue.

“Cinder knows who she is.”

“Right,” said Qrow, “and those behind her. That’s why we need to find Nikos. If they find her…”

“They’ll kill her,” said Ruby. Qrow nodded. “So, what do we do?”

“I need to get word to Goodwitch, a very careful word because we can’t afford for any hint of this to leak. She can keep an eye out if Nikos sticks around Vale. Not that it’ll be easy, because if Nikos has any sense, she’ll be in disguise.”

“Because she’s famous?” asked Valkyrie.

“Right.” _What were we thinking, giving magical powers we wanted to keep secret to a celebrity? I guess Oz wasn’t expecting Beacon to fall, but still…_

“And what about us?” asked Ruby.

Qrow let out a soft breath. It was a longshot, but he’d been planning on pointing Ruby in this direction anyway. This way they could kill two birds with one stone. Or deal with two problems with one bird. Sort out Haven and try to catch up to Nikos. He looked back at Ruby.

“Tai’s going to hate me for this.”

“We’re going to Haven?”

“That’s right. I can’t leave these two,” he said, pointing Ren and Valkyrie, “they’ll come along anyway.”

“Yeah!” said Valkyrie loudly.

“And I know you’ll want to help your friends too; this way I get to keep my eyes on you and try to keep you safe as well.”

“Safe?”

“The people after Nikos will be after you too.”

“Because…?” She phrased it as a question, but the subtle gesture towards her eyes said she’d worked it out. Qrow nodded in response.

“I’m not going to lie to any of you: this is going to be dangerous and risky. But then I guess school didn’t turn out to be safe either.”

“We’re not going to let Pyrrha down,” insisted Ren quietly.

“I didn’t think you would,” Qrow said.

“Dad isn’t going to like this,” said Ruby. “How do I tell him? And Yang? She’s in a bad way… she yelled at me yesterday.”

Qrow frowned. His other niece… well there probably wasn’t a good way to deal with the loss of an arm. Tai was probably her best bet. Tai, and time.

“She’s not in a good place kid but hopefully being here with your father will help her. You’ll have to work out how to tell them. But I wouldn’t leave them without some sort of explanation.”

“So, when do we leave?” said Valkyrie impatiently.

“In a couple of days,” said Qrow. “Time to pack and prepare, time for me to chase a few leads and get word to Goodwitch. And time for us to cover a few other matters.”

“Like what?” asked Ruby.

“Like why you all need to keep your distance from me, especially in a fight,” he said reluctantly. “You see, my semblance isn’t like most: it’s not something I turn on or off, it’s always there, whether I want it or not. It brings misfortune to anyone close: enemies and friends… and family, alike. I guess could call me a bad luck charm…”

He’d certainly felt like one recently.

####  _**Vale** _

There weren’t many people here tonight. That was good, she supposed, she needed to avoid notice, though part of her felt that those honoured here deserved more.

Perhaps they came in the day: the photos, flowers, an assortment of tributes all suggested many had passed this way at some point. Pyrrha Nikos was standing before a makeshift memorial for those who’d died at the Battle of Beacon. She supposed a permanent one would be established in time, long after all the services and funerals were over.

A trip to Vale had been necessary in the circumstances. Patch may host a combat school, but its connections to other kingdoms were limited even at the best of times. Now, with everything disrupted if not outright suspended, it was better to get to Vale first and work her way Mistral-ward from there. Ship was a possibility; she’d heard one of the visiting students from Haven – an actual student, not one of the imposters – had made his way to Vale by stowing away. Pyrrha didn’t quite plan on that option if she could help it but figured sea might be the best route now that inter-kingdom air traffic was so restricted. She could have flown home as an evacuee, of course, but that would involve travelling under her own name. A name that now had a target attached to it.

In any case, she couldn’t pass through Vale without coming here. Without coming to say goodbye.

She couldn’t attend any of the services or funerals. She was sorry about that. She supposed they might go on for some time but didn’t know the details. She didn’t even know when – or where – Jaune’s was going to take place. She’d have liked to meet his family, as terrifying as she found that prospect, even if were only to apologise and ask for their forgiveness. She supposed she ought to give Crocea Mors back too. But she couldn’t bear to part with it just yet.

And there were so many others too: friends, fellow students, even passing acquaintances who were now gone. Would Penny even get a funeral? Pyrrha hoped she would. She wasn’t just a robot. She was Ruby’s friend. Not that Pyrrha could attend that one. One didn’t typically invite the killer.

How many services should she be attending, if she could? She’d failed them all, after all. Not that she could have attended anyway, even if she’d stayed with her minder. Ozpin’s circle doubtless wanted to keep her out of sight. She resented that, but also understood it. It was for the same reason she couldn’t simply get a flight home, after all. Cinder Fall, and doubtless those who worked with her, knew who and _what_ she was. They would come for her.

Hence why she was here, at night, hooded and swaddled with new clothing. It was why Miló and Akoúo̠ and her armour were all safely stowed away with Crocea Mors, why she’d dyed her hair, and did her make-up just so. She'd learned a few tricks over the years about concealing her appearance from time to time, but it was a skill she’d have to get much better at. Previously she’d enjoyed moments of anonymity; now it was a matter of survival. For all that she had sometimes disliked her fame and its consequences, she never knew the time would come when it could actually kill her.

Though at least it had ensured she had sufficient Lien for her needs, she supposed.

She’d made one concession to the past. While acquiring new clothes, she’d been drawn to a collection of hoodies. They offered some practical benefits in terms of concealment, but what drew her to one in particular was the figure on the front. When she saw the logo of Pumpkin Pete, she hadn’t been able to restrain herself.

That might have been unwise, considering the association. Once upon a time she could have obtained any number of these as a perk of the contract, not she ever had and nor had she ever worn one. But the image had since acquired a whole new association than the cereal box she once graced.

She didn’t think they’d recovered _his_ hoodie. Not intact anyway. His clothing must have been too badly damaged. So, she got this instead. In his size even. She wouldn’t wear it all the time; she was rational enough to understand that a variety of clothing helped maintain a disguise. But it brought a small measure of comfort.

In the meantime, she stood in front of this memorial, and mourned and apologised and promised. Before leaving, possibly never to return, she took out her own tribute, laying it beside the others: a long scarlet braid of her own hair. She’d had to cut her long hair off anyway, yet another step in trying to hide her tracks. But she’d wanted to leave him something too, to make some gesture to show that she loved him, that she missed him, and that she grieved for him. She hoped that somewhere, somehow, he could somehow see and know that she thought of him. She didn’t have anything else to offer.

Not yet.

####  _**Evernight Castle, The Land of Darkness** _

She could feel the smug satisfaction radiating from across the table.

This meeting was not going to be pleasant.

Not that Watts was the only problem, simply one of the most infuriating. Neither the cackling maniac to her right, nor the brooding giant across from him were much better company. All looked at her, and saw a failure, someone weak.

Cinder hated them for it. Not that she needed much excuse for hate. But it was fuelled by the knowledge that she had failed. That victory had been snatched out her grasp by a stubborn headmaster, an idiot over his head, and a little girl. The maiden powers had been in her grasp, the would-be maiden almost prostrate before her, and then…

Mercury and Emerald were by the window behind down, doubtless awestruck by their view of the Land of Darkness and its inky-black pools, the viscous tar continually bringing forth new Grimm. She snapped her fingers. There was no time for sightseeing; she needed them.

As they came to her side – Emerald pushing Mercury out of the way so as to stand by her side – she heard the man across from her speak, his snide, cultured voice oozing with condescension.

“Yes, yes, please keep your… posse… in check,” said Arthur Watts.

Cinder saw Mercury take a step forward in response, but Emerald was quick to restrain him with out an outstretched arm. Cinder turned her attention back to Watts.

“You hear that? Silence. I’ve half a mind to thank the little girl that bested you.”

“If I were you, I’d hunt her down,” snickered Tyrian, perched on the chair to her right. “Find her and, well, she took your eye, didn’t she?” the scorpion Faunus giggled, before giving way to maniacal laughter.

Cinder hated this, hated them. She tried to speak, to send barbs back at them, but her ruined vocal cords could do little more than gasp. She turned to Emerald, who leaned in, anxious to act as Cinder’s voice.

“Pathetic. Why did you even…” begun Watts, but he was interrupted by the sound of a latch. All looked towards the chamber doors, and hurriedly stood as they flew open.

Salem, Queen of the Grimm and their mistress, glided into the room. Dressed in dark but regal robes, she slowly moved around the table, the only noise being the soft chime of her jewellery and her gentle footsteps. She walked towards the other end of the room, and stood for a moment facing away from them, none daring to speak.

“Watts,” she called out in an even tone.

He straightened up, looking towards her. She turned around, casting her red eyes upon them, the deathly white colour of her face broken only by the dark veins running across it.

“Do you find such malignance necessary?” she chided in a sharper tone. She silently gestured for all to be seated. All took their seats save Watts.

“I apologise, ma’am. I’m not particularly fond of failure.” He took his seat as Salem herself did, seating herself at the head of the table.

“Which particular failures are you referring to?” Salem said in an aristocratic tone. “She destroyed Beacon Tower and killed _dear_ Ozpin.”

“She failed to become the Fall Maiden, our primary objective,” said Watts. “And then there’s the matter of the girl with silver eyes.”

“Yes,” growled Hazel, the giant to Watt’s left. “We’ve dealt with their kind before. How is it a novice was able to best one of us?”

“My thoughts exactly,” added Watts. “It should have been effortless, and then we’d have a full maiden at our disposal.” Cinder glowered at him.

“I must confess I am… disappointed… in your failure to gain all the Fall Maiden’s power, Cinder,” Salem said softly. Watts smirked. “But the appearance of a silver-eyed warrior _was_ unanticipated. You remain key to our victory, Cinder, but the power you have already received, and that which you gain in the future, brings with it a crippling weakness. Which is why you will remain by my side as we continue your treatment.”

Cinder lowered her head in frustration and disappointment. The hunger within her, the hunger that had not slept since she’d first acquired half of the Fall Maiden’s strength, ate away at her, longing to be reunited with its other half. She’d seen the girl holding the other half, and her frailty. Yet she was to be deprived of a chance to ease that hunger, and the perception of failure that hung over her.

“Doctor Watts,” continued Salem. “You are to take Cinder’s place and meet with our informant in Mistral.”

“Very good,” Watts nodded.

“Tyrian, I want you to continue your hunt for the Spring Maiden.”

“Gladly.” he chuckled.

“And Hazel, I expect to hear more from the White Fang shortly. Adam Taurus is keen to maintain ties, it seems, and should be in contact soon. I want you ready when he does. In the meantime, maintain your operations against Haven’s huntsmen.”

“As you wish,” Hazel rumbled.

Cinder raised a finger. Never mind Mistral, there was unfinished business in Vale! The only thing between her and the power she craved was a weakling who’d been unable to even stand! And then there was the girl responsible for her eye and arm. With an exclamation, Emerald caught her gesture and leaned in. Cinder rasped in her ear, and Emerald stood straight once more.

“Speak child,” said Salem.

“She wants to know… what about the half-Maiden? And the silver-eyed girl?”

“The former certainly leaves our objectives in Vale incomplete. Doctor Watts, do you have any information?”

“Alas none,” he said. “Despite her former fame, we have previous few leads as yet on the location of the _other_ half-maiden.”

Cinder loathed the mockery – and the present truth – behind those words. The power was rightfully hers. She whispered at Emerald once more.

“Cinder says that the half-maiden is weak,” Emerald said.

“Really?” said Watts. “Your own intelligence suggested she could be quite a threat. Then again, by your own account, you were hindered at the vital juncture by someone your own reports described as ‘a complete non-entity.’”

Cinder could see that non-entity now, that imbecile who nevertheless kept her from her due. She spoke via Emerald once more. “He’s dead,” she stated.

“Dead? Quite. But he didn’t _fail_ ,” Watts sneered.

Furious, Cinder slammed her fist on the table.

“Enough,” Salem interjected. “I commend your desire, Cinder, to make up for any perceived… _shortfalls_. But there is a risk. The half-maiden and the silver-eyed girl may be in the same location. If so, they could be a very desirable target, but they could also be a very risky one. We need more information before we can make a move in confidence.” She turned to the crazed Faunus. “Tyrian?” she said.

“Yes, my lady?”

“Spring can wait. Find, if you can, the half-maiden or the girl who did this to Cinder.

Tyrian squealed and giggled enthusiastically, clapping.

“This is a scouting assignment,” Sale warned. “Report back before you engage. It is vital we know more. We need to know if the two are together or apart, and if so where.”

Tyrian let out a disappointed grown, deflated that his favourite activity no longer being on the menu, before shrugging to indicate his obedience.

“Because of your efforts,” Salem said, “Beacon has fallen, its last secrets soon to enter our hands. And Haven will follow soon after.”

All rose, following the Queen’s lead. As Tyrion made some deranged crack and began laughing, Cinder grit her teeth. For the time being she was tied to this Castle, to her Mistress, undergoing _treatment_ , stuck enduring the mockery of fools and unable to set right the proper order of things. But that would change, she vowed, once the Queen allowed her to leave. She’d get what she rightfully deserved and erase this stench of failure. Above all else, she would make sure that those responsible for this – including that hapless half-maiden who didn’t know she was already dead, and that little brat with the silver eyes – _suffer_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews, I appreciate the feedback!
> 
> In writing this, one conclusion I came to is that Ozpin’s circle seemed to have made the mistake of both trusting too much and too little. Thus Lionheart was in on all the crucial secrets and had carte blanche to facilitate the murder of many of Haven’s hunters, while the fact that there was no one else in the entire kingdom who knew what was at stake means there was no one to act as a check on him. Likewise, the circle has a grand total of one field agent who’s sufficiently informed to deal with Salem/Maiden/Magic matters, which leaves them very short staffed and he potentially juggling divided responsibilities, even if one sets aside the fact that he’s always drunk.
> 
> The canon Volume 3-4 timeframe is quite vague, and there appears to be some issues with it if one tries to examine it too closely. I’m not going to be too precise myself but am keeping an eye on the canon timeframe when it appears to make sense, while being prepared to be looser when I think it doesn’t. One example of this the meeting scene here with Salem, which obviously owes much to the canon meeting in Volume 4 episode 1, but with some significant differences. It makes little sense for the first post-Beacon debriefing to take place 6-8 months after the fall (as might be implied in canon, though it’s not actually stated), especially when there’s outstanding business from Beacon. On the other hand, it does make sense that it would take time before Adam could get in touch after the White Fang leave Vale, since relocating his forces, basing them in another continent, and arranging a meeting between Sienna Khan and Salem’s lot would take time. Hence a couple of differences not due to the actual divergence (although so far those couple differences are only to establish that this meeting is set quite soon after the Fall; nothing has happened yet to stop Adam from getting in contact as per canon).


	5. Chapter Four: A Maiden's Memories

#### At Sea, south of Anima

The sea was calm tonight; the gentle rocking motion was almost relaxing.

Pyrrha looked out over the side of the ship, and watched the water move back and forth, the shattered moon reflected on the surface. Few nights had been as calm as this, and she’d now seen enough of them to know. She’d had to change ship a couple of times on this journey to head to her final destination. Thankfully, she’d been able to resist her initial impulse to jump on the first ship that seemed headed in the right direction. She wasn’t a novice at inter-kingdom travel, after all, and had managed to calm herself and check possible routes before she caught a ship that left her marooned at the wrong end of the continent. A careful choice in ships brought her closer to her goal. The collapse of the CCT had disrupted trade, but it hadn’t brought it to a complete standstill.

No matter the ship, however, and almost regardless of the weather, she found herself night after night sat like she was now, looking out over the sea. Even when weather didn’t permit, she found she couldn’t sleep at this time of night. There was always this sense that she should be doing something else. And she knew why.

_Let’s try that again._ Visions of a rooftop, and another night sky.

_Shield up… keep your grip tight… don’t forget to keep your front foot forward._

She wondered if it was during those training sessions that she'd actually fallen in love with him? All that time spent together, clouded by neither fame, nor reputation, nor pretence, in which she saw his determination to become who he could be, and he looked at her not for _what_ she was, but _who_ she was. Or perhaps it was some other time, like the dance, when he’d willingly risked public humiliation for her with that dress. Pyrrha didn’t know; maybe there was no clear point. After all, her feelings had grown over time. Her initial interest had been quite a shallow thing at first: simple delight that he hadn't recognised her. It’d kindled when he didn’t react the way so many did when told of her fame. It was on that basis she figured he might be an acceptable partner at Beacon, possibly even a potential friend. She’d then saved his life during initiation, his lack of a landing strategy providing her the opportunity to let the chips fall where _she_ may, even if it betrayed a confusing lack of skill.

But it was unlocking his aura that was the turning point. When she’d unlocked his aura with hers, it was if she could peer into his soul. The aura is a reflection of the soul, after all, and when she saw that he had a lot of aura, far beyond most, how could she not also understand the greatness of the soul that must radiate it? She'd felt the strength and warmth of his aura, and knew these must reflect qualities within, even if they needed to be developed and brought forth. Love came later, but it was in that moment that she felt his great potential. It was then that she knew he had a destiny and felt a desire to nurture it, even if turned out that he didn't know it himself, that those she had to persuade of it included him.

And then Cinder Fall snuffed it out.

That confused her. How could that be? Pyrrha had believed in destiny. She'd believed she had one herself: not an inescapable fate, but a final goal, a reason to exist, that she could and ought to work towards. She believed she had a destiny to become a huntress, to protect the world, and felt assured that she would achieve it she faced it with courage and dedication. But just as she'd known she had a destiny, she'd seen that Jaune had one too.

So what did it mean when it was cut short? Had he refused to work towards it, or to face destiny? _No!_ She couldn't even voice the thought, not after he stood again and again against a foe he couldn't even hope to beat. She wouldn't - couldn't - dishonour his sacrifice, even if it hurt so very much. Was it her fault then? If she'd pushed to embrace the burden placed upon her earlier, would she have been ready to face Cinder and protect Jaune and Beacon both? Was it her doing? The result of her failure?

But if his destiny could be thrown off, sabotaged by the act of some third party, was it destiny at all? And if that was the case, did she really have the destiny she supposed either? Did destiny exist at all? All her life Pyrrha had been guided by the conviction that she had a purpose. She'd been willing to give up so much for it, even considered – and been tormented by – the thought that her love for Jaune was a hindrance to it. She thought of that terrible conversation outside the cafeteria, where she'd been convinced that she would have to sacrifice her love and even her very self for her destiny. That seemed like a sick joke now: for all she'd dreaded it, she'd stepped forward the moment she'd been told to, and failed anyway. The only reason she still lived was because he gave his life for her. Love hadn’t held her back; it had saved her. Had everything she'd been working towards been misguided up until that terrible night?

These felt like terrifying thoughts. Either she'd slavishly followed a destiny that'd ended in her failure and his death, or that destiny – that purpose – did not exist at all. She cared for neither option. She was determined to defy both. She would forge a destiny, a reason to be, but it would be a destiny she would choose for herself, not meekly follow. Leaving Patch was the first step on the path, this ship another, each a step of many ending in one goal, one purpose. One destiny she would work towards with all her being and life and soul. And when the time came to fulfil it, Cinder Fall would pay the full price for what she had done.

#### Anima, approaching Shion

Qrow had many regrets in his life. One of them was ever believing that _Nora Valkyrie_ was quiet.

She was walking up ahead now, speaking to her stoic partner at her usual elevated volume. It could be about all manner of subjects: some dream she had, some dramatic part of her life story (half of which, according to Ren, had never happened), her ever-constant obsession with pancakes.

“How about Norbert?” he overheard her saying. “N… R… B… R…” pointing at herself, Ren, Qrow and Ruby in turn.

“That’s not a colour,” said Ren. “Nor is it a good name. And you’re not the team leader.”

Ah, the team name business. In fairness, Ruby and even Ren seemed to spend time on that one. And it’s not like he could have kept Valkyrie behind; she’d have come anyway. Besides, he conceded privately, he liked the kid, and she was surprisingly solid in a fight.

“But _Ren_ ,” Nora replied. “There’s two of us,” pointing at herself and Ren, “and we’re going to find our third, and there’s only one each of them.”

“But Qrow’s leading us,” said Ruby. “Q… L… V… R… Quicksilver!”

“At least it’s a colour,” Ren said.

“Humph, I don’t know…” Nora complained.

Qrow had never given much credence to this whole colour business Oz had been so hung up about. For that matter he never gave much thought to any teams save one, and that one was long gone. Still, it probably did the kids good to think of other matters.

“Uncle Qrow?” Ruby asked quietly, dropping back to walk with him.

“What is it, kiddo?”

“You’re thinking. What are you worried about?”

He grunted. These kids could also be surprisingly perceptive. “Nikos,” he replied. “None of the recent villages we’ve passed have seen anyone coming this way, let alone anyone close to her description. Which means she likely didn’t come this way.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

“Well, either we were wrong about where she was heading – in which case who knows where she is – or she took some other way.”

“But we went the most direct way, didn’t we?”

“The most direct on a map, sure, but that’s not always the quickest way, especially now. I think Nikos must have realised that. Or at least part of me hopes she has. And part of me hopes she hasn’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because it means she may get to Mistral long before we do. And I wasn’t kidding about our enemies’ trail heading there. It’s why I wanted to catch her en route. Haven itself, I figure it’ll take some time for our enemies to mobilize, and I’m hoping Professor Lionheart is already on his guard. But Nikos will be all alone, and possibly looking for trouble…” Qrow trailed off.

“That’s why you’re hoping Shion has an airship. So that we can get there in time to protect Pyrrha from Cinder?” said Ruby.

“Cinder, and others,” he said.

“People working for her?”

“Worse, people working for the one she’s working for.” Seeing Ruby’s confusion, he pressed on. “There’s a few more details about what we’re facing in Haven that I need to talk to you about,” he said. “All of you, providing we get a good space to ourselves tonight.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem!” Nora Valkyrie announced loudly from ahead. She gestured towards the village coming into view before her. “We’re here!”

Shion had seen better days, but was otherwise a pleasant, bucolic village, with friendly people. The four had been warmly welcomed and swiftly introduced to the part-time mayor and tavern-owner, one Rudd Mori.

“Well, Shion’s small and quiet enough that a dedicated mayor seemed extravagant,” he said, explaining his dual position. “And, well, the tavern’s usually done well enough that I guess everyone just figured I could be mayor too.”

“Do you get many visitors here?” asked Ruby, as they walked towards the said tavern.

“We used to, back in better days. Things have been much quieter since the CCT went down, but before that we used to be a regular tourist spot. We haven’t had any travellers for a couple of weeks now. It’s why we’re glad to see you, though by your attire I’m guessing its more business than pleasure,” he replied, gesturing at their weapons.

“Yeah, that’s right,” replied Qrow. As they walked past, he noticed that – as he’d hoped – Shion indeed had an airship. “Does that thing still work? We could really do with a ride to Mistral.”

“That should be possible,” said their host, “providing you’re willing to do us a favour? Shion’s usually not had too much trouble, but we’ve had a spot of bother in some of the outlying farms. Nothing major, but possibly some trouble brewing.”

“Grimm?” Qrow asked.

“Or bandits,” Rudd said. Qrow felt a sliver of disquiet at the mayor’s words. “Hard to be sure, but signs point to human activity. Kobe – our huntsman – can tell you more about it tomorrow. We’d send him to check it out, but folk are a bit worried if he ends up going too far afield. But we want to make sure there’s nothing wrong in case anything’s messing with travellers or starts moving in on the outskirts, and with you here, it’d be mighty helpful if you could take a look.”

“That might be possible,” Qrow conceded. “You haven’t asked for help from Haven or Mistral?”

“It might be nothing, and in any case we’re a long way from Mistral. We can’t even get a signal through since the CCT went down, and it’s been a long while since we’ve seen any huntsmen from Haven come by. I guess they’ve all been a bit busy since the world went a little crazy. Hopefully that will change when things get back to normal, and we’ll start having visitors again… ah, here we are!”

The tavernkeeper gestured to the building in front of them, clearly their destination. He opened the door, welcoming them all inside with a gesture. “We don’t get as much business as we used to, but many of the locals swing by and will be pleased to talk with you. In the meantime, make yourselves comfortable, and holla if you need anything.”

“We’ll need a place to stay…” said Ruby as they walked in.

“Not a problem. When we were busier most visitors would end up camping, but the tavern’s got a couple of spare rooms you’re more than welcome to. Please, make yourselves at home, and we can jaw about business tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” said Qrow, looking around the tavern. Much like the village itself, it went for a certain idyllic rural aesthetic. The party eased off their packs and began looking around.

“Who’re these?” asked Nora, peering closely at a set of photos. The wall was dotted with them, and the ginger girl’s innate curiosity was evidently aroused.

“Visitors mostly,” Rudd answered. “When things are normal we tend to attract a regular bunch of tourists. I’d like to think most leave with some good memories, and in turn some leave their mark here.”

Nora continued to scrutinize the photographs before she suddenly paused and gasped. Without warning she flung herself at Ren and pulled him into a hug.

“Nora?” Ren asked.

Qrow exchanged a glance at Ruby, puzzled by the girl’s behaviour, and leaned in to look at the offending picture. Like many of the others it depicted some happy guests, in this case a large family all with blond hair. Large was perhaps understating it: aside from the two adults – the parents he guessed – there were eight girls. No, wait, that was seven girls, and one boy wearing pigtails and a sheepish expression.

“Oh,” Ruby said softly, before turning with a tear in her eye and rushing to join the hug. Qrow turned a questioning look at Rudd, who – equally puzzled – leaned over to get a closer look

“Ah, that’s a lovely family, they’ve been coming here frequently for years. What are they called? Short name… begins with an A… ah, that’s right, it’s the Arcs.”

Qrow’s stomach dropped, as everything made sudden sense.

“It’s Jaune,” Ruby confirmed for Ren’s benefit, voice breaking. In response, Ren returned Nora and Ruby’s hugs.

“That’s right, Jaune’s their son’s name,” the tavernkeeper answered casually, before turning. His face fell as he looked at the young hunters-in-training. “Oh... it’s not good news, is it?”

“No, it isn’t,” said Qrow. “He was their friend, at Beacon.” He’d only known of Arc second hand, had never seen the kid. Well, except for his remains. But his friends, his friends would recognise him. How the hell was the world so small? He didn’t know what to say to the kids, didn’t know how to comfort them, so he gave a gentle ruffle to Ruby’s hair and gave them some space.

Rudd had been especially solicitous after the revelation about the Arc boy, and after their renewed grief had a chance to settle, he’d tentatively shared a few stories he remembered of the Arc family. Apparently Arc himself was the quiet one of the family, while the sisters were menaces. Qrow felt that in the end that perhaps it had done the kids some good, giving them an opportunity to speak of more innocent times and allowing them to listen to a few more precious memories of their friend.

They’d retired early nonetheless, pleading travel weariness. That wasn’t a lie; their journey had been hard and sleeping in real beds was a luxury. The unexpected reminder of Jaune Arc had likewise been taxing, even if they’d been able to share a few smiles at the end. But the real motivation was Qrow’s promise to tell them more of what was really going on.

“You don’t look especially surprised that there’s more to tell,” he said, looking at Ren and Nora.

“Well, we always figured there was more to the story,” said Nora. “I mean, you tell us that magic is _real_ , and that there’s four magical ladies, and people after this power, and that now _Pyrrha_ has part of that magic. That just sounds incomplete!”

“So why haven’t you been asking lots of questions?” Qrow asked.

“We’ve been thinking them!” said Nora.

Ren jumped in. “We hoped you’d tell us when you felt ready.”

Qrow looked at Ruby, who just looked at him quietly. She trusted him, he knew, but he was sure she was also anxious to know what was at stake. What had already cost them some friends and could cost them more.

Qrow sat and took a sip from his flask.

“What I’m about to tell you,” he began, “are secrets, kept from the world and known only to the headmasters of the academies, and a few chosen others. Because if the world knew about them, they’d be chaos. We’d be looking at another Great War, or worse. And Ozpin would always say that we can’t cause a panic, which I can understand because that’d bring the Grimm down on everyone’s necks. However, he’s not here right now, and I feel that since you kids are already involved in this, you deserve to know what you’re up against.

“I also can’t tell you everything; I don’t know everything. Oz knew more than he was letting on, I think, though I trust him so maybe he had good reason not to pass that on. I’m sure there’s some details that no one knows, and I can’t help you with those either. But as to what we do know…

“First things first, Cinder isn’t just working for herself, nor is she just working with others. As I told Ruby, she’s working for someone. in particular. We don’t know a lot about her, but her name is Salem. She works in the shadows, mostly, working through agents like Cinder to keep us divided and blaming each other. She’s smart, so she’s pretty good at it. But she’s powerful too, powerful like the maidens, _magical_. She’s some sort of immortal witch, from who knows when. But the title most of her followers give her is _Queen_. And that’s because she is. She’s queen of the Grimm. They’re not just unthinking monsters: she can control them, influence them somehow.”

He looked at the two huntresses and one huntsman, looked into their wide eyes. Even Ren showed some reaction. He didn’t blame them, couldn’t blame them for that. He remembered how shocked he was. It was one thing to sign up to fight monstrous beasts, as they all had. It was another to find out that that there was an intelligence guiding those monsters, working against humanity, that could organise and plan like it had at Beacon.

“How… how do we fight something like that?” asked Nora.

“I don’t know, kid. I’m sure Ozpin had a plan, but I don’t know it. But I do know her power isn’t unlimited. She can’t just control all Grimm everywhere at once, or Beacon and all the kingdoms would have fallen long ago. We should have been able to stop the fall of Beacon, but it took a lot to set it up. All that effort to get the negativity in Vale up wouldn’t have been necessary if she could just command the lot. But she had her hand in it. Because there was something in Beacon she wanted very badly.”

“The power of the Maidens?” guessed Ruby.

“You’re on the right track, kiddo. The Maidens come into it but there’s more to the story.” He paused, taking another sip. He remembered learning of these secrets step by step, and how overwhelming they’d seemed each time. These kids were getting a large chunk of it all at once. Taking a breath, he decided to continue.

“Not many people are super religious these days. Those that are, have believed in all sorts of gods. But according to Ozpin, two are real, two brothers. The elder, the God of Light, created forces of life. His younger brother, the God of Darkness, created forces of destruction, ultimately making the creatures of Grimm. Then they compromised, made one final creation, which would have the power both to create and destroy. To it, they gave two additional gifts: the gift of knowledge; and the power of choice, to choose between light and darkness. That creation is us: humanity.”

“What does this have to do with Salem?” asked Ren.

“I’m just coming to that. These four gifts? They aren’t just metaphors. There are four powerful relics, left by the gods: The Relic of Choice, the Relic of Creation, the Relic of Destruction and the Relic of Knowledge. Each of these holds great power in its own right; if someone – if Salem – were to obtain all four, they could reshape the face of Remnant. And that would be very bad for all of us.”

“So where do the Maidens come in?” said Ruby.

“There’s four relics that needed guarding. There are four huntsman academies, built around the relics to protect them: Beacon to guard Choice, Atlas to guard Creation, Shade to guard Destruction, and Haven to guard knowledge. And then there are four keys – four individuals – who alone possess the power to open each of the chambers.

“The Fall Maiden – that’s Cinder and Nikos now – have the power to open the vault for the Relic of Choice. Winter and Summer guard the Relics of Creation and Destruction. And the Spring Maiden guards the Relic of Knowledge. The Maidens themselves have great power, and Salem’s after that, but it’s the relics she’s truly after.”

“Did Pyrrha know all this?” asked Ren.

“No,” Qrow admitted. “She only knew of the Maidens themselves.”

There was a long pause.

“Well that’s _stupid_!” Nora blurted out suddenly.

“It does leave her at considerable risk,” added Ren.

“She was given a choice!” Qrow insisted.

“But not an informed one,” Ren said pointedly. “Choice without knowledge.”

Damn. Kid was sharper than he looked. Qrow’s impulse was to defend the decision Ozpin made, that they’d _all_ made. He trusted Ozpin, but his own misgivings about the whole business were wrestling with that confidence. He was painfully aware of how little they’d told Nikos in comparison to all that they potentially asked of her. They’d asked her to risk her identity and soul; was that better or worse than a blood sacrifice? And of course, none of them had known the girl herself: what she wanted, what she feared, what she cared about, what she’d break over…

“Look,” Qrow began, but Ruby interrupted.

“That doesn’t matter right now,” she said. “Maybe mistakes have been made. But we all want to help Pyrrha here, right?”

Nora nodded vigorously, Ren giving a swift nod of his own.

“Yeah, I do, kiddo,” Qrow admitted. If he’d been just a bit quicker, he could have saved Amber from Cinder. Failing a _second_ Fall Maiden was not a life goal. There were too many heroic young ladies he’d been unable to save.

He took another sip.

“So, what are we facing in Haven?” asked Ruby

“Well, we need to find Pyrrha,” said Qrow. “Salem will know who she is, and if Nikos gets killed,” he saw the three wince, “Salem will have a Fall Maiden _and_ a clear route to the Relic of Choice. But we have other problems too: Haven may be Salem’s next target. Cinder and her team-mates claimed to come from Haven academy, and Haven may be more vulnerable than the armed camp Jimmy Ironwood’s doubtless turned Atlas into, or the den of thieves and scoundrels that Vacuo, well that Vacuo always is. But the biggest problem is that we lost track of the Spring Maiden a decade ago.”

“Does Salem already have her?” Ren asked.

“If she did, I think we’d already know about it. No, I think she’s still out there, but after what happened to Beacon we need to find her urgently. Leonardo Lionheart – that’s the headmaster at Haven – has been looking for her. We haven’t heard from him in a while, but Ozpin put a lot of trust in the headmasters so I’m hoping Lionheart has answers. Our first priority at Haven is to talk to him.”

“Can he help us find Pyrrha?” said Nora.

“I don’t know, kid. I hope so.”

The three trainees fell silent at this point.

“If you have any questions later, I’ll answer them if I can,” Qrow said. “In the meantime, I’ll take some fresh air, give you all space to think. It’s a lot to take in, I know. I was in your shoes once.

Qrow stepped out in the night air and deserted street. It was still and quiet as Shion and its people slumbered. Telling Ruby and her friends of the secrets their world revolved around couldn’t help but remind him of another team, of another time. Of his team.

There were some differences. Team STRQ had been gradually inducted, bit by bit. It was easy to see in retrospect: the extra missions, the occasional chats with the headmaster, the careful blind eye to some of their exploits. Ozpin had been doing the same with Ruby’s team, he could tell. But then Beacon fell, and team RWBY shattered and Ruby was stuck with half of team JNPR instead. He couldn’t tell what Oz’s plans for JNPR were. Would he have separated Nikos from her team? That didn’t seem smart in retrospect: Nikos was more emotionally vulnerable than she seemed, and Valkyrie and Ren were both loyal to their teammate and capable in a fight. And Arc had shown he had what it took at the end of the day. He hadn’t deserted his partner, unlike _some_ he could mention.

Both RWBY and JNPR had suffered great loss. Yang had lost her arm. Belladonna and Schnee had left. Arc was dead, and Nikos was who knows where. All before any great secrets were revealed. It was right to tell the survivors what their friends had fought and died for. They’d suffered in advance. STRQ had known before they felt the touch of grief. But they’d known its bitterness in the end.

Every time he looked at the kids he was reminded of them. Of _her_ in particular; how could he not, when he increasingly saw _her_ face every time he looked at Ruby’s? But he saw the others too when he looked on the kids’ pain and sorrow. He saw Tai, who’d just broken under the strain. He’d managed for piece himself together for his girls, eventually. But it’d taken him a long while, and he’d never quite been the same again. And he saw himself. He’d crawled into a flask.

About the only one who hadn’t reacted – because she’d already deserted them – was his wonderful sister who’d…

He noticed a raven perched on the building opposite, looking in his direction.

He looked round, checking that the village streets were deserted.

“I know it’s you,” he said.

“The raven jumped off and swooped down, and in an instant was a raven no more, but instead a woman, armoured and with an imposing sword at her waist, and a mask resembling a Grimm covering her face. She took the mask off, revealing a face much like Yang’s, but with black hair and red eyes. Red eyes just like his own.

“Hello brother,” she said.

“Raven,” he acknowledged. “I was just thinking earlier that it was a small world, but this is pushing things a bit far. But then I’m guessing this isn’t a coincidence.”

“Perhaps more of one than you might think. But no, not entirely.”

“So, what do you want?” he asked.

“Can’t a girl catch up with her family?”

“She can, but you’re not,” he growled. “So, tell me what you came here for?”

She stepped to the side, glancing up the street, before turning to look straight back at him.

“Does _she_ have it?” she asked.

Qrow looked at her in silence.

“Did you know Yang lost her arm?” he said eventually.

“That’s not…”

“Rhetorical question, I know you know. I just hate that you’d bring up family and then carry on like your own daughter doesn’t exist.”

“I saved her.”

“Once, because that was your rule, right? Real mother of the year material, sis,” he said, voice dripping with scorn.

Raven took several steps forward and grabbed his arm, grip tight. “I told you Beacon would fall, and it did,” she said. “I told you Ozpin would fail, and he has. Now you tell me: does _Salem_ have _it_?” she gritted out.

“She doesn’t yet.” At Qrow’s words, Raven let out a gentle breath. “But I thought you left all that?” he said.

“I just want to know what we are up against.”

“And who’s ‘we’?” he asked.

Raven glared at him, eyes burning into his own, and left go of his arm with a sound of disgust.

“You know, if you really want to make sure _it_ stays out of _her_ hands, you should come back,” he said. “That’s the only way we’ll succeed. If we all work together.”

“You’re the one that _left_ ,” she replied. “The tribe raised us, and _you_ turned your back on them.”

“They were killers and thieves!” he spat.

“They were your family!”

“You have a very skewed perception of that word.”

Raven twisted away, fists tense with anger. She looked back at him. “I lead our people now. And as leader, I will do everything in my power to ensure our survival.”

“At what price?” he asked.

“The weak die, the strong live. Those are the rules.”

“Some rules. I think _she_ works by the same.”

Raven spun round once more, turning her back on him, and began walking away.

“You should move on, Qrow, get to wherever you’re going.”

“Why?”

“Just go. Soon.” She pulled her sword from its sheath and cut down, a red tear in the fabric of reality opening in its wake. She walked through it, and the portal closed behind her, leaving no sign that she had been there.

_You’re not just here because of me_ , he thought. He looked round at the quiet village, at the homes of the gentle folk who’d welcomed them. _You’re here for them, too_. His blood ran chill as earlier memories arose, of a past gratefully forgotten and left behind. He dashed back inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has quite a bit of introspection and exposition. Introspection is part of the nature of the beast, but as should be clear we’re heading for some action soon.
> 
> Team QLVR left earlier than RNJR did, so Shion is still standing (for the time being). And of course, in canon it was visited frequently by Jaune’s family, and sacked by Yang’s mother, as coincidental as that might seem!
> 
> The conversation between Raven and Qrow is similar to that in canon at Higanbana, but there are some crucial differences.
> 
> I was tempted to have Qrow jokingly think at one point that if they’d known how important Jaune was to Pyrrha, they should have considered stashing him in alongside the relic. but that was perhaps a bit too light-hearted, and Qrow seems to take grief seriously, but the thought made me laugh.


	6. Chapter Five: A Maiden's Resolve

####  _Shion_

He dashed back into their room.

“Uncle Qrow?” Ruby looked up in concern. The three hunters-in-training were still perched sitting on the beds where he’d left them, evidently having been deep in conversation.

“We’ve got another problem,” he said. “I just had a conversation with Raven.”

“Yang’s mom?!” said Ruby. “Why’s she here?”

Looking at the three confused expressions in front of him Qrow sighed. He’d thought the last conversation would be awkward. He walked over to the beds and sat down beside Ruby, across from Ren and Nora.

“Well, she knows some of what’s going on, and wanted to ask a few questions about it. But there’s another reason as well.” He took a breath, aware there was no easy way to say this. “She’s a bandit.”

“She’s a what?” Ruby asked, her expression one of surprise and concern. Qrow couldn’t miss, however, how Nora and especially Ren’s eyes took on a harder aspect.

“Raven and I didn’t grow up in the kingdoms. We grew up in a bandit tribe. The _Branwen Tribe_. And since the most dangerous opponents Bandits face are huntsman, we were sent to Beacon Academy to pick up their skills.” He looked at the kids in turn. “Your friend’s not the first to have faked his credentials, and won’t be the last, though his motives were better than ours.”

“But you’re a huntsman now, right?” asked Nora.

“I am. I guess I was always looking for a different path, even if I didn’t know it. At Beacon, I got the chance to be something other than a thief and murderer. Thanks to people like Oz,” he turned to Ruby, “and thanks to your mom and dad.” Ruby smiled, a tear in her silver eye. He felt a pang in his heart as she once more looked like Summer reborn.

“We were all on a team together: Summer, Tai, Raven and myself. Team STRQ we were called. Like you, we had our fun at school. And like you, in time we got some attention from the headmaster: some extra missions, a little extra tutoring. And eventually he let us in on the same secrets I’ve told you and we worked for him.

“I thought we all knew what was at stake. We were fighting for something that mattered, and we’d been given a better life. I thought Raven felt the same. Sure, we were all taken aback by the things we’d learnt, and we’d had some dicey missions, but she’d settled down with your dad and had Yang. And then she vanished.

“I don’t know why she left. But we all took it hard. Summer was like a sister to her, and Tai, well he hurt hardest of all. Summer helped him in time, which is where you come in, pipsqueak,” he said, pausing to ruffle Ruby’s hair. “But it always left a hole in our team.” He winced, seeing the look in the kids’ eyes, knowing they all knew how he felt for all the wrong reasons.

“I often wonder, if Raven hadn’t left us, would Sum…” Qrow broke off, glancing at Ruby. “But then, if Raven hadn’t gone, some good things wouldn’t have come along either. And I never found out why she left. But I did find out where she went to: she returned to our tribe, took up being a bandit again. And now she leads the tribe, and their next target is here.”

“Here?!?” Ruby squealed.

“How do you know?” asked Ren. “ _Why_ would she tell you?”

“Well she didn’t just come out and say it, kid,” Qrow said. “But she wasn’t just here for me, and she warned me to move on. ‘Soon’, she said.”

A look of determination crossed Ruby’s face. “We’ve got to defend them!”

“That’s not exactly easy, Ruby. I don’t know that we can, and each day we delay is another Nikos could be in danger.”

“Couldn’t she just wait us out?” Ren asked. His tone was unusually level, even for him, and Nora took hold of his arm.

Qrow paused, both to think over his conversation with Raven and to peer at the window for any suspicious avians. After a moment, he shook his head.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “She knows who we’re ultimately up against, but based on what she was asking, she doesn’t know we’re chasing after anyone, let alone _who_. Besides, that’s not her style. One warning, one chance, that’s more her approach. If she warned me, I give her no more than a couple of days.”

“So we’ve got to protect the village!” insisted Ruby.

“Ruby, we can’t,” Qrow met her stubborn stare. “It’s not a matter of want, we _can’t_. Shion doesn’t even have walls, and we have, what, five of us to defend the whole village, including the huntsman here if he’s any good? Whatever else she is, Raven’s good in a fight, and the tribe are no slouches. I don’t think we can hold them off. And it’s not just them we have to worry about. Any survivors are going to feel awful, and all those negative emotions will…”

“Attract the Grimm,” Ren finished.

“Right,” Qrow nodded.

Ren and Nora looked at each other. Nora nodded in response to a silent question. “But we have to _try_ ,” said Ren, both siding with Ruby.

They fell silent, steeped in thought.

Qrow eventually broke the silence. “I can’t see how we can save this village.”

“But we have to protect the villagers,” replied Ruby.

Qrow paused in thought. Could that be it? It was a solution no one would be happy with and it wouldn’t be easy. But it might just do the trick.

“Okay, I have an idea,” he announced. “But we’re going to need to get our host onboard with it…”

“We’re going to be what?!”

Rudd Mori had given them a warm welcome that morning and had been eager to offer them a ‘working breakfast’ in his tavern’s main room with Kobe Flynn, Shion’s resident huntsman. He had not taken Qrow’s news well.

“Attacked. You’re right, you do have bandit problems, but they’re bigger than you thought.”

“But Shion’s always been a quiet town, folk here have never had too much trouble…”

“Things are changing. Beacon was attacked, the CCT fell. We’re not in ordinary times.”

“How do you know all this?” asked Kobe, a measure of suspicion in his hazel eyes.

“Last night you had a visitor. Someone I recognised as a member of the Branwen tribe.”

Kobe paled in response.

“The Branwen tribe?” asked Rudd.

“Bandits,” offered Kobe. “Nasty ones. Huntsmen haven’t had much luck against them, particularly in the last decade.”

The mayor turned to Qrow and the trainee hunters. “Can you help us? Please!”

“We can’t defend the village…” Qrow began.

“You can’t? Please, you’ve got to help us,” Rudd pleaded. “Do you need money? We’re not rich, but we’ll give what we can…”

“It’s not that,” Qrow said, hand raised in reassurance. “We _want_ to help. If it were a smaller threat we probably could defend the place. But against the Branwen tribe? There’s not enough of us.”

“He’s right,” added Kobe. He ran a hand through his light brown hair. “We can’t hold off an attack, not from them. And even if we manage to do something, there’ll be a lot of bad feeling. And with _that_ comes Grimm.”

The tavernkeeper slumped in his chair with his head down, his normal good cheer having utterly fled.

“What are we going to do?” he said.

“We can’t defend the village,” Qrow said. “But we _can_ save the _villagers_.”

Rudd looked back up, while Kobe raised an eyebrow.

“You have an airship. Evacuate the village. What’s the nearest settlement that can take you in?”

“Higanbana to the east may be the best short-term bet,” replied Kobe. “It’s well-defended and has some accommodation.”

“We… we can’t just _leave_!” said Rudd.

“Better to leave than to lose your lives,” said Qrow. “Houses can be rebuilt.”

“But they aren’t just houses, they’re _homes_. Most of us have lived our whole lives in Shion; what you see around you are not just buildings, but our time and work and love. Memories in solid form. We can’t just give that up to become vagabonds! Do we even know when the bandits will attack?”

“Not for sure,” admitted Qrow. “In a couple of days is my best guess.”

“You guess? And what if they don’t attack?”

“Then your people have a short holiday!” Qrow growled. “And they come back, alive and well. But if they stay here when the bandits do attack, then a lot of lives _will_ be lost.”

“I…” the tavernkeeper began, “I’m going to have to talk to the rest of the village. Arrange some time for you to meet them all. I can’t make this decision myself.” He rose, and with a brief nod left the tavern.

“A couple of days isn’t going to enough time to evacuate everyone in that little thing,” Kobe said. “You might get one or two trips to Higanbana, but no more than that.”

“I figured,” said Qrow. “But it’s a start. We can begin with the children and infirm. Anyone left when the bandits show up, we’ll evacuate on foot.”

“Pretty risky.”

“I _know_ ,” Qrow snarled. “We’ll need some plan to get the villagers past the bandits. But once we’re out the way they’ll break off. They’ll be more interested in taking their spoil from the village. As for Grimm, we’ll have to deal with some, but a lot less than we would have if we had a whole bunch of murder victims.”

Kobe raised a placating hand. “Just checking before I entrust the safety of this village into your hands. We’re going to have to work together to pull this off.” He stood. “I’d better do some prep and speak to some locals myself. We’ll talk later.”

“Sure.” Qrow returned his nod and watched Kobe leave the tavern. He let out a sigh, and then turned to his charges. “How are you kids holding up?”

Ruby spoke first. “I’m glad we’re going to be helping.”

“You meant what you said, right?” asked Nora. Seeing Qrow’s confusion she continued. “About protecting the rest of the villagers on foot. Because it’s good to save the children, of course! But we don’t want them to all become orphans or something, do we?” Qrow couldn’t help but detect a pleading tone beneath Valkyrie’s words, accompanied by an inscrutable look from Ren.

“I mean it,” he said. “We’ll try to save as many as we can.” And hope that Nikos wasn’t already in too much trouble, he thought.

####  _The City of Mistral_

It had taken longer than Pyrrha had hoped to get to Mistral, but she’d finally made it. On the surface, it appeared little different from how she’d last seen it, sprawled across the same two mountainsides. It was not her hometown, of course: that was Argus, further north. But she’d been here enough times for tournaments and other business that she knew her way around.

That was vital for her purposes. Simply getting to Mistral was only the first part of her plan. Somewhere in this city was a connection to her enemy, and the only resources she could fall back upon were those she could carry. She couldn’t risk public exposure; her fame would mean her name would carry, and in a way calculated to leave her at a disadvantage against Cinder Fall’s servants. And in truth she wasn’t sure she could expect much help from the public. Not after what they’d have seen in the last moments of the CCT broadcast.

She thought of an innocent freckled face, with ginger hair and green eyes. And she remembered what she did to that girl. She didn’t know, couldn’t know, that Penny was an artificial girl, that she’d be so vulnerable to Pyrrha’s control over metal. She’d been tricked, it was a setup by Cinder Fall and her followers. _Jaune_ had told her that. But she still felt guilty. Penny had still died by her hands. She’d crossed the line; she’d taken Penny’s life.

And that act had been broadcast worldwide. Almost the last thing the world saw before the Vytal tournament descended into chaos was Pyrrha Nikos tearing little Penny to pieces. No, she could expect little sympathy from the public. Pyrrha knew how publicity worked, knew how quick the crowd was to tear down tarnished heroes. And in this case, she couldn’t blame them; she’d think worse of them if they didn’t.

She also couldn’t look for help from Haven Academy, which looked down upon the city from its position on the peaks of both mountains. She’d met Professor Lionheart on several occasions, ever so briefly. He’d seemed nice enough, but it was the shallow social pleasantries of a celebrity tournament fighter and a local VIP who doubtless wanted her to study at Haven instead of Beacon. Not enough for a relationship of trust, and besides, she strongly suspected he must be part of Ozpin’s little group. It already included Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood. Two headmasters – and some of their staff – strongly suggested Lionheart could be part of their conspiracy too. If so, Haven likely offered hindrance, not help. She hadn’t escaped their glittering cage to be thrust back in again.

However, her knowledge of the city meant she did have a reasonable knowledge of the various neighbourhoods, and posing as a fresh visitor to the city had brought recommendations as to which areas to visit and which to avoid. Pyrrha didn’t care for the innkeeper’s bigotry, but warnings about which areas were heavily populated by Faunus had been accompanied by whispered comments about known White Fang haunts.

Which brought her here.

The White Fang had participated in the attack on Vale; on Cinder Fall’s orders they’d even transported Grimm to unleash on their victims. They were part of that bloody affair and deserved everything that was coming to them. But most of all, they offered Pyrrha an actual possible lead to Cinder Fall. _Someone_ in the White Fang had coordinated with Cinder. If she followed the trail they represented, in time it’d lead her to that person, and to Cinder Fall herself.

It’d taken time to piece together the clues leading to this particular bar, however. It was a known White Fang watering hole, but there were a number of those. But she’d been lucky to find out that this establishment had a new landlord. One recently arrived from Vale. It was time.

She stood outside, dressed in civilian clothing. She’d left her weapons behind, and her armour was at half a dozen different armourers and blacksmiths. Her only armour was the large hoodie she wore, hood pulled up to mask her features. Her only weapon was a single dagger, strapped to her left arm. But it would be enough.

But could she do this? But a short while ago, she’d never contemplated doing what she was about to do. She'd fought in tournaments, under strict conditions, and against Grimm, creatures without a soul. There'd always been the possibility of actual combat against live foes, of course, but until recently that had always seemed so abstract. And even then, there was a big difference between the risks of combat, and setting out to kill. Deliberately, coldly, and with intention. She was about to step across what some - what _she_ \- would regard as a very serious line.

She thought once more of an innocent freckled face.

It was a line she’d already crossed. Against an innocent, no less. Whatever remaining reservations she had about her plans, that term did not apply to those she was about to meet.

This wouldn't be the first time she'd killed someone. This would simply be the first time she killed someone who deserved it.

She stepped into the bar.


	7. Chapter Six: A Maiden's Reveal

####  _A Bar in Mistral_

Pyrrha stepped over the bodies. The two gunmen, who’d been unable to stop her turning their guns on each other. The first men she’d killed deliberately. She ignored them as she strode towards the entrance.

She locked the door with a flash of her semblance, and flicked the entrance lights off. The tinted windows would prevent anyone from getting a good look inside, and appearing closed would prevent any would-be customers from coming in. The previous clients – none of whom had got a good look at her face – had cleared out before trouble started and would doubtless stay clear for the time being. Someone was bound to come by eventually, but this brought her a little time.

She turned back towards the bar, back towards the four corpses she’d left on the floor and the one man still living. He stared at her in terror as he lay against the wall, bleeding from both shoulders, one still pierced by the dagger embedded in his flesh. She gestured, and he cried out as the dagger was yanked out and flew back to her hand.

“You haven’t answered my question,” she said coldly, walking slowly towards him. “Cinder Fall? The human witch you worked with in Vale…”

“I… I don’t know anything! I never spoke to her!” he gasped. “None of us did!”

“ _Someone_ did,” she pointed out. “The White Fang were following her orders. She had to speak to _someone_.”

“We were following Adam’s orders!”

“So she spoke to Adam. Adam…?” she asked. A hint of defiance re-entered his eyes. She answered by opening her palm again, allowing flame to dance across it once more.

His gaze faltered. “Adam Taurus,” he breathed.

Taurus? It was logical. She’d heard he’d been involved in the attack on Beacon. An infamous terrorist, and senior figure in the White Fang. It’d make sense that Cinder would work with him; from the cruel condescension Pyrrha saw in the woman, she hardly seemed the sort to consort with lackeys if she could help it.

“And where I can I find Adam Taurus?” she asked, as she leaned in closely.

“I don’t know!” he pled.

“You must have some way of contacting him?”

“He’s… he’s not in the city right now. I don’t hear from him directly, only through the lieutenant.” He paused and she gazed right at him. He glanced at her and flinched, before hurrying to continue. “The Lieutenant and others – veterans of Vale – they’re holed up in a warehouse, waiting for Adam’s next move. The Shiroi Logistics warehouse, on the second level on the South Peak.”

It was something. She doubted this man – a mid-level funky at best – could tell her much more. But if this ‘Lieutenant’ had a direct route to Adam Taurus, then he was one more step in the chain. A chain that would run through Adam which in turn – if she was right – would lead to Fall herself. Especially if Adam’s ‘next move’ had anything to do with Cinder’s own plans in Mistral.

She looked down at her captive in contemplation.

“Please, I don’t know much more,” her captive begged. “I deal with business here now.”

She felt her dagger in her hand. This man was involved in the fall of Beacon. Innocent blood was doubtless on his hands. She remembered his line about her having _lost_ Jaune, as if it were a simple accident, as if she’d _mislaid_ him, rather than watched him be _murdered_. She felt fire within burning at her. Yet she hesitated. The gunmen, the thug, the bartender; their deaths had been in the heat of battle. His wouldn’t be.

“Please,” he continued, “I won’t say it was you.”

Of course, he’d seen her face.

She struck. His body tipped to the side.

No witnesses.

At least, not until it was time for her enemies to know her true face. When it became necessary.

She wiped the blade on his clothes. It wasn’t innocent blood, at least. Sheathing the dagger back up her sleeve, she felt into his jacket and checked his pockets, finding a wallet and a Scroll. She riffled through the wallet and kept the Lien; she had no problem putting White Fang funds to a better use. She briefly opened the Scroll to check it was working. A brief check of its data suggested it might contain useful information, so she closed it and stowed it away. She wouldn’t keep it – that could be risky – but she’d examine it more closely elsewhere. Her time was running out; sooner or later someone – possibly even a White Fang enforcer – would check on the bar. Time to leave.

She stood and strode behind the bar to check the door behind it. A brief look confirmed the room beyond led to the rear exit she’d observed earlier. Now to put the fire-escape to its appointed use.

She looked behind the bar, looking for the most alcoholic drinks. A Six Swans label indicated some bottles of Atlesian vodka, and beside them some Mistrali brandy. Taking the bottles, she threw them around the bar, making sure to throw some near the bodies she’d left lying on the floor. As the broken bottles spilled their pungent contents onto the ground, she retreated towards the back door, throwing a last bottle to smash behind the bar. Spirits seeped on the ground and furniture, as she prepared to clean up this mess, and send a message.

She doubted White Fang sympathisers would call the Mistral police force. But a burning building might cause them some difficulty.

Conjuring flames in her hand once more, she sent them jetting out into the room. It was a small flame as yet, hardly matching the one within. But between the fumes and the wooden furniture it served its purpose. Here and there the furniture caught light, each spark growing into a fire, the fires melding together into a true blaze. Seeing the bar burning and satisfied that it was on its way to becoming a bonfire, Pyrrha made her escape. She would leave the bar as _they_ had left her: in ashes.

####  _Shion_

After some cajoling, the villagers had been persuaded to evacuate. The airship had left as soon as it could with the children, bound for Higanbana, while the rest of the village prepared packs to travel. It’d been a tense few days; Qrow doubted Raven would remain entirely ignorant of their actions and in any case expected the tribe to attack any moment. The airship had returned just before dawn, and now was being turned around and loaded with the infirm and anyone else unsuited to trekking to Higanbana on foot.

Kobe and Ruby kept watch, Ruby’s speed semblance meaning she could swiftly get word of the bandits to Qrow. Meanwhile the tavern had become a headquarters of sorts, with various villagers making last minute preparations and Qrow organising the remaining huntsmen. In the event of an attack, the other villagers were to fall back to the tavern, pick up the packs, and then follow the huntsmen’s lead.

“That’s where you come in Valkyrie,” Qrow said, gesturing over a table in which a makeshift map of mugs and dishes had been assembled. “We may need to punch past the bandits to get the villagers out. That’ll be your job.”

“Heck yeah!” Nora smiled in glee, Magnhild in hand. “I get to break some knees, Ren!” she said excitedly to her partner.

“Easy there, kid,” Qrow said. “We don’t want to bloody them too much. We don’t want them chasing after us out of some sort of grudge. We want them to break off pursuit because they’re more interested in the village.”

“Aww…” Nora replied despondently.

“It’s just this time, Valkyrie. Just remember the plan. The average tribesman shouldn’t cause you too much trouble anyway.”

“If that’s the case, couldn’t we take them on and defend the village?” Nora asked.

“If it was just us huntsman, we could probably try that,” Qrow said. He gestured to some of the villagers around them. “But it’s not. That’s where you come in Ren: you and Kobe will keep close watch over the villagers and escort them out once Valkyrie’s cleared the path.”

“Understood,” replied Ren, as succinct as ever. He’d seemed unusually edgy – well as edgy as Ren could appear – ever since Qrow had announced the impending attack, but he was still by far the most level-headed of the trainees. Which was why Qrow had given him perhaps the most difficult task. Both Valkyrie and Ruby would get too caught up in the fight to spare much attention to the villagers. As for Qrow, well, he’d keep his distance from them for the same reason he’d stay away from all of them in combat: neither the villagers nor his charges needed any more bad fortune.

“What will you be doing?” asked Nora.

“The average tribesman won’t give you much trouble. But there’s at least one who will.”

“Your sister,” Ren stated.

“Right. My job will be to take care of her.”

Nora’s eyes widened. “You’re going to kill her?”

“No,” Qrow shook his head, his mixed feelings welling up within him. He hated what she did. Hated that she’d deserted them, what she’d done to Tai and Summer. He hated that she’d gone back to being a thief and murderer, and now led them. But she was still family, as poorly as she understood the concept. There was still a bond he couldn’t violate. If there wasn’t, he wouldn’t be so angry with her. “I won’t be holding back, but she was a huntress, a very strong one. She can take it. I’ll be trying to distract her, then break off and join the rest of you.”

An odd look briefly passed over Valkyrie’s eyes, before she nodded. Having ran out of huntsman to address, Qrow began looking round for Rudd, to check in with the mayor.

The tavern door slammed open, a waft of rose petals blowing in.

“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby called from the doorway. “They’re here!”

A bell began ringing out as Qrow dashed through the streets, Ruby in tow. Villagers were running towards the tavern, as instructed, but the airship remained grounded, a couple of the ground crew still bustling around it.

“Get that thing into the air and away from here!” he yelled out. He was relieved to see them stop whatever they were doing and close the doors. He hoped whatever they were doing wasn’t that important, but it was unlikely to be as lethal as still being on the ground when the bandits reached it.

He charged on into a doorway and climbed up the ladder leading to the watchtower. Kobe nodded in acknowledgement as he reached the top.

“We’re surrounded,” Kobe said, ducking below the parapet as shots rang out. “Some must have snuck up on us, but the others seemed to appear almost out of nowhere.”

Raven’s work, Qrow realised. She must have opened a portal to fetch more of her followers. He peeked over the barrier, making sure to keep a little distance between him and Kobe. With the bullets flying through the air, the man needed all the luck he could get.

From the sounds and the occasional movement, he saw Kobe was right. He looked round, searching for his target. He was glad to see the airship slowly rising into the air, on its way at last.

“Most are moving in,” said Kobe, “already taking cover behind the outlying buildings.”

“Thanks. You’d better get to the tavern and join up with Ren.”

“Will do, Qrow.” The huntsman held out his hand. “See you on the other side.”

“The same,” Qrow replied, shaking his hand. Kobe moved to the ladder and slid down it swiftly. Qrow kept looking for Raven, before hearing someone come up the ladder. Ruby climbed out of the hatch, and swiftly pulled out Crescent Rose, the gargantuan sniper-scythe she’d based off Qrow’s own Harbinger. She looked through its scope, searching for a target.

“Have you seen her yet?” she asked.

“Not yet,” Qrow said, turning southwards. He felt the wind suddenly pick up. Strange, the sky had been clear moments ago.

There was a sudden flash, and a peal of thunder. Qrow glanced back to see the airship had been struck by lightning. She was still aloft, but clearly damaged. He looked at the sky; this was no natural storm.

 _No_. It couldn’t be. He looked round, finally finding his target. A tall, masked figure in the distance, clad in red and black. And beside her another, stood still.

He’d figured out why the Branwen tribe had been unstoppable for the last decade.

“Ruby, over there!” he gestured. “I’ve got to stop her. This storm isn’t natural, they have the Spring Maiden. I’ve got to buy time for the airship to get away.” And the rest of us, he thought.

Ruby nodded and looked at the cloud that had suddenly gathered overhead. “Wait!” she gasped and sped over to the other side of the watchtower. “Nora!” she yelled out, pointing upwards.

Qrow looked over to see Valkyrie in the distance, standing in in front of the tavern. She looked up, gave an exaggerated salute, and ran back into the tavern.

“What’s she doing?” asked Qrow.

“Buying us some time,” said Ruby. She hefted Crescent Rose, smiling. “Want some covering fire from a high-impact sniper rifle?”

He smiled back. “Thanks kiddo.” Switching Harbinger to shotgun mode he jumped over the parapet, ran down the sloped roof and jumped off. Bringing Harbinger up he fired several rounds in the direction of the bandits and ducked behind another building. He ran round the side, moving southwards past several homes, heading in the direction he last saw Raven and her Maiden. Reaching another building, he dashed around the corner and came face to face with bandit.

The bandit jumped back, before a smirk crossed his lean face. He brought his pistol to bear, but Qrow was quicker. He fired Harbinger, then swung it as he switched it to its sword mode. The smirking bandit dodged the swing but was caught as Qrow’s left fist struck into his gut. As the bandit bent over Qrow brought his knee up hard. As the man gasped out in pain Qrow brought the pommel of Harbinger down, smashing against his skull, knocking him unconscious.

Shoving the bandit off him Qrow hurried to the next corner, leaning around the wall to see Raven and what was clearly a young woman in sight, the woman’s eyes closed. Several shots hit the wall, forcing him to duck back. He’d be exposed crossing open ground, but he had to try.

Another flash, and another crack of thunder announced more lighting. He looked back, fearing the worst for the airship, to see instead the lighting striking a small, hammer-wielding figure atop the tavern roof, waving her hammer aloft.

He winced for a moment before he remembered. For most people, getting struck by lighting is a harmful, if not lethal experience.

Not for Nora Valkyrie. Her semblance let her convert electricity into strength. For her, lightning didn’t bring pain, it brought power.

As the bolt ran through her she laughed. Wait, was that a _cackle_?

He wasn’t sure if Nora Valkyrie scared the enemy, but _Brothers_ , she sometimes worried him.

As Valkyrie’s laughter echoed across the village, she switched Magnhild into its grenade launcher mode and began firing eastwards. Explosions rang out as she began bombarding the bandits. A final blast, and she launched herself eastwards, her hammer poised to assail the tribesmen blocking the way.

 _Now!_ _While they’re distracted!_ Qrow hurled himself around the corner, sprinting towards the Maiden. Shots rang out as a few bandits took pot shots, but they ducked down as several high-calibre sniper rounds rained down.

_Thank you Ruby._

_Just a little further_.

Both Raven and her Maiden stood stock-still as Qrow charged towards them. He brought Harbinger up. As he drew close, he brought it down. The sword arced towards the Maiden’s head.

The Maiden opened her blue eyes, jerking in alarm.

A sword leapt out.

The wind ebbed.

Metal clashed.

Harbinger was blocked, its descent stopped dead.

“You should have listened to me, Brother,” Raven said, her arm outstretched, her sword in Harbinger’s path.

Qrow sprang back, twisting towards Raven as he brought Harbinger to bear upon her. Raven pulled off her mask and brought Omen – her sword – into a guard position as she glowered at him. The Maiden, a young woman with short hair, reached for her own weapons, a pair of circular, crescent-shaped blades.

“So why did you really ask me to move on, Sis?” Qrow spat. “A fleeting concern for my life, or were you trying to keep your little secret under wraps?”

“It’s a strange time for you to be bothered about people keeping secrets, Qrow,” Raven growled as her Maiden circled behind Qrow. “Or is that a privilege only Ozpin enjoys?”

Acting on instinct, Qrow brought Harbinger underneath his arm, stabbing back. It was deflected aside, as the Maiden behind him hurriedly turned her attack into a parry. Qrow let the parry push him into a spin, bringing him around just in time to block a swing from Omen. His sister brought her leg up into a kick, but Qrow rolled aside before coming to his feet once more.

“You didn’t have to get involved, Brother.”

“You’re the one attacking, Sis. You could have left these people in peace.”

Qrow attacked this time, lunging at the Maiden who was circling behind him once more. She brought her two blades to bear. With two swings he knocked them aside, and then slammed into her with his body, knocking her to the ground. He turned just in time to parry another thrust from Omen and was pushed back as Raven pressed her attack.

“You could have moved on, like I told you to. You could have come back to your people, like I told you to!” she shouted.

Fury filled his veins, as he used Harbinger to push Omen down and swung a left hook at Raven’s face. She staggered back as the punch struck home.

“And you could have stayed with us!” Qrow yelled, bringing Harbinger once more to bear. “With Tai! With Yang! With Summer!”

He swung out with his sword, bringing it across and then down. Raven parried each time but was driven back by the force of Qrow’s attack.

“Whatever else I may be,” he said, “I’m a huntsman. I’ve made my choice.”

Sudden movement crossed the corner of Qrow’s eye, and he ducked, avoiding several blows from Raven’s Maiden. He stepped back as she sliced at him with her curious blades. She surged forwards and he dodged to the side, opening some space before swinging at her with Harbinger. She jumped back. Qrow sensed the incoming blow and dropped as Omen carved through the air above him, rolling himself to the side before returning to his feet.

“You’re a fool who’s going to get himself killed waging Ozpin’s war,” Raven said, as she and the Maiden circled in opposite directions.

“As opposed to running and hiding?” Qrow replied. He leapt towards the Maiden again, before they could encircle him. He brought Harbinger up in an arc, but the Maiden blocked the attack, holding the sword with both blades. He reversed direction, swinging Harbinger back round. The Maiden twisted fast, catching the blow once more, but stumbled as her feet tripped. She fell, but Qrow was unable to exploit her misfortune as Raven came swinging at him again with a flurry of blows. He fell back under Raven’s swift attacks, before managing to turn aside a thrust and shoving her back.

“Get it in your head Sis; there’s no running and hiding from Salem,” he said. “Hold onto a maiden and you’re involved. Whether you want to be or not!”

Raven screamed, her red eyes ablaze with anger. She held Omen aloft as the Maiden got back on her feet. Qrow braced himself when he heard a faint cry.

“Uncle Qrow!”

Qrow threw himself back, as several high-calibre shots hit the ground between them. The Maiden flinched, though Raven was unmoved as she stood glaring at him.

_I guess that’s the signal to leave._

More shots rang out, as Qrow launched himself up and fled back into the village, running as fast as he could. The Maiden moved as if to pursue, but Raven’s arm shot out, holding her back. As he ducked back into the outskirts she stood, eyes fixed upon him.

As Qrow had hoped, the bandits had broken off pursuit in favour of ransacking the village and its goods. He only had a few more run-ins before he rendezvoused with Ruby, and none at all once they’d left the village and caught up with the column. They were met by an appreciative nod from Kobe, wide smiles from Nora, and a relieved look from Ren. The villagers were understandably shaken, but in better morale than he could have hoped. His trust in Ren had not been misplaced; the young huntsman had done a sterling job providing escort. And with the Maiden’s attack disrupted the airship had managed to limp away, carrying more souls to safety.

Now the long trek lay ahead, shepherding the company through the wilds to Higanbana.

“How did you figure out that trick with Valkyrie on the roof?” he asked Ruby as they walked near the rear of the company. He wanted to be ready just in case the bandits changed their mind.

“Oh, that was Jaune’s idea,” Ruby said happily.

Qrow glanced at her with some concern. Ruby looked innocently back at him.

“During the first round of the Vytal tournament,” she explained. “Jaune had Nora do much the same thing in team JNPR’s match. Weren’t you watching?”

He had watched a bit. Drank a bit too. Some of those early rounds blurred together. As for the later rounds… well he wasn’t the only one here who’d prefer not to think about those. The kids with even more reason than he.

“I watched _your_ games,” he insisted.

“Sure,” said Ruby. “But team JNPR were our friends too. And I learned a lot from that game.”

“You sure did, pipsqueak,” he said, ruffling her hair. Indeed, Nora Valkyrie had made quite an impression on the village infrastructure as she’d made her way through the bandits. It was almost for the best that the people of Shion were relocating.

They walked on silently. Qrow’s thoughts turned to the task of escorting the whole company through the countryside. With each step they left the bandits further behind, but other trouble was ahead. While they’d gotten off more lightly than they would have, the villagers had been attacked by bandits and forced from their homes. Their feelings would attract some Grimm; it was inevitable.

Qrow had not had a lucky life. He’d been named for the superstition around the bird, even before his semblance had been discovered. And then there was that: not just for what it did to him, and those close to him, but what it said about him. A semblance was a reflection of one’s innate self. What did it say about _him_ when his brought misfortune to those nearest to him?

Such experiences had carved a well-worn track in his mind, one which inclined naturally towards pessimism. His thoughts travelled that path now, as he worried about protecting their convoy, as he worried what he’d learned of the Spring Maiden, and as he worried about his missing charge, about Nikos.

Walking beside him, Ruby pulled out a small photo frame and looked at it with a sad smile.

“What’s that you’ve got there?” Qrow asked.

“It’s the picture of Jaune and his family,” she said, showing him. “I took it from the tavern.”

“Why?”

Ruby wiped a thumb across the picture. “So this moment wouldn’t be lost. It’s important. We couldn’t preserve the village, but we can preserve memories. The villagers have lost their homes, but they can hold onto memories of better times. And so can we.” She paused, thinking to herself, before she brightened up. “It might do Pyrrha good to see this. I’ll hold on to it for her,” she said, smiling.

Qrow’s heart ached briefly, as he remembered a similar face, with the same optimistic spirit. And yet the sight of Ruby and her spirit also soothed his pain, memories of hopes past vindicated and rekindled. For the moment he decided to push back against his worries, to bask in her smile, and let her confidence that she could help her friends, inspire him. While he missed his friend, Summer had left a wonderful gift to the world.

No matter all that he had been through, he was lucky to have his niece in his life.

####  _Mistral_

The Scroll hadn’t contained much in the end. It’d offered several additional leads – the warehouse was apparently far from being the only White Fang base in the city – and confirmed the location of her next target. There’d been some heavily euphemistic references to police bribes. And there were some references to apparent trouble with local organised crime. The last was potentially useful information, filed away for a later time.

She’d abandoned the Scroll after smashing it. Best to be safe.

Now once again in the room she rented, she sat in thought.

She’d wondered if she’d feel anything, taking a life. She still felt so much guilt over Penny, after all. Surely the act of deliberately seeking to kill should feel significant, even if they did deserve it?

And yet she wasn’t sure she felt much of anything.

Perhaps that was for the best. Part of her was worried she might enjoy it. One didn’t become a four times regional champion, after all, without a feel for fighting, without taking joy in battle or longing for victory. She’d never fought to kill, never enjoyed hurting people, but she’d liked to fight and win.

But, of course, she’d always done so with restraint. She’d always had to pull back a little, always sought to avoid doing too much harm. Her previous employment of her semblance was perhaps the greatest example of that, limiting her control over metal to a tug of a weapon here or a pull there. Yet it wasn’t the only example. Oh, the tournament circuit had demanded the utmost skill, but it had also demanded it be channelled in certain ways. Only against the Grimm could she act freely, and yet old habits had remained even there. Her classmates had seen her as invincible; they hadn’t realised she was always holding back.

This was the first time she’d sought blood. The first time she’d fought without limit.

There was something liberating – almost exhilarating – about fighting without restraints. Of never pulling a blow, of pushing her semblance to new limits, of pushing her skill in new directions, like an artist with a new canvas. And this was just the beginning. This was just a small bar. Far greater challenges lay ahead, demanding she draw upon every ounce of skill and talent she possessed. _That_ , part of her would enjoy. But it was combat that part of her revelled in, not killing.

She didn’t derive pleasure from killing itself. Oh, she sought justice, on Cinder and all those who’d helped her. She longed to avenge Jaune and all those they’d murdered, and there was a certain satisfaction in making them _pay_ , in bringing their misdeeds down upon them. But she didn’t actively enjoy the act of taking a life. That was a relief. Still, even if glad she hadn’t succumbed to sadism, she’d expected to feel something more. But the anger in her heart, that choked her waking moments, remained undimmed. Had she expected that to change? Yet why should it? She could hardly expect the removal of some minor lackeys, with only limited roles in the attack on Beacon, to quench her inner rage.

Well, the solution to that was easy: she’d keep on going. She’d keep searching until she’d found all those responsible, especially those who bore the most guilt. She’d keep on going until she’d eliminated every single one of them.

She stood and turned to the armour she’d laid upon her bed. It’d taken careful work assembling it, working with multiple armourers and blacksmiths to avoid the whole ever being seen. Her previous costume – for in many respects that is what it was – was unsuitable. It had been made with an eye for the tournament circuit, to be eye-catching spectacle _on_ the tournament circuit. While Aura allowed some leeway when it came to impractical choices involving armour – indeed, many of her fellow huntresses didn’t use armour at all – she was no longer minded to take such chances. Her enemies had been playing for keeps at Beacon, and now so was she.

Besides, her previous armour could hardly conceal her identity. After all, it’d been part of her very brand. And her identity, like everything else, was now a weapon, to be deployed when ready and not a moment sooner.

There were similarities in style between her previous armour and her new set. She appreciated the classical Mistrali style, and it reused much of the same metal. But there were also significant differences. The cuirass had been extended; the breastplate made thicker. Now it covered the entire torso, up to the shoulders and merging with a plainer gorget. The addition of pauldrons protected the shoulders themselves, while extended (and in the case of the right arm, added) pieces protected her arms and legs. Her new suit had less obvious weaknesses and the bronzed armour should look quite different when combined with a black undershirt and leggings. Her new gloves were the same colour.

Black. The colour of mourning.

Of course, there would be no crowds to be disappointed at the absence of skin.

She couldn’t bring herself to discard her scarlet sash. Perhaps it was a risk, but she was hardly the only one who’d worn such an accoutrement, and it seemed fitting. The colour felt significant, a memorial to all that her enemies had taken, and a promise of that which she’d exact in return. She’d been so taken by the meaning of the colour she’d added a long scarlet cloak. It could be discarded if need be but would serve to help protect her from the elements or conceal her form when necessary.

Finally, there was the newest piece, perhaps the most significant change. She could no longer stomach wearing her circlet. It was too recognisable for one, so much part of her image that she’d worn it with her school uniform and even at the dance.

But worst of all was what it symbolised: a crown of victory. Fitting wear for the Invincible Girl, for the Goddess of Victory who’d never lost on the tournament circuit. Yet it, and such titles, were a mockery, a cruel lie, foolish self-deception. She wasn’t invincible. She had lost. And others – dear, precious others – had paid the price.

Nikos. Even her very name was a promise she’d failed to live up to.

The circlet was gone now, melted down. It had been replaced with a bronzed helm of a classical style, which was both more practical as armour and would conceal her face. Though when the time was right, she planned for her targets to see her true face.

Weapons were more straightforward, at least the ones she used with her hands. She trusted Miló and Akoúo, there was little wrong with them. Miló’s versatility – being able to shift between javelin, sword, and rifle – had proven its worth on many occasions. As for Akoúo, a solid shield was a surprisingly useful thing. There were no delicate components to break, nothing to hinder its reliability in close quarters, while her semblance made it a powerful ranged weapon.

These weapons, alongside her semblance and her new powers, would serve her well. But there was one more weapon that would play a part, one close to her heart. She felt some guilt that she’d held onto it. It was a family heirloom after all. But she couldn’t give it back just yet.

She pulled Crocea Mors out from where she’d hidden it. In one smooth movement, she pulled the sword from its sheath and expanded the sheath into its shield form. She’d taken to training with this weapon, even back in Patch, seeking to get as acquainted with its weight and heft as she was with her own weapons. She collapsed the shield and slid the sword back home. She then raised it to her lips and laid a gentle kiss on the scabbard.

It was a comfort, having something of _his_. Something she could hold onto, that made the memory of him more real. But she didn’t hold onto it purely for comfort’s sake. One day she would give it back, once she could look Jaune’s family in the face. She owed it to Jaune. She’d give it back when its steel and her shame had been washed clean, and the blade properly anointed.

This was the weapon she’d drive through that witch’s heart.


	8. Chapter Seven: A Maiden's Wrath

####  _The Wilds between Shion and Higanbana_

Nora Valkyrie was telling the villagers about the time she’d ridden on the back of an Ursa.

Ren wasn’t nearby, so Qrow had no idea if the story was actually true or not. He could now believe she’d try it, but she also said a lot of other things. Not that it mattered right now. Valkyrie’s tale, and her… enthusiastic story telling techniques were serving one invaluable purpose.

Cheering the villagers.

They’d left the bandits behind days ago. Now they were traipsing along the rough road to Higanbana, slowly making their way through the countryside to what he hoped was safety. Qrow had hoped that the airship would return and steadily ease their burden by speeding more and more of the villagers to their destination, but it had yet to do so. Perhaps it taken too much damage from the Spring Maiden’s attack and was unable to do so. A pity if so. For the company now faced a new, and entirely predictable, danger.

The Grimm.

Kobe Flynn, who knew the local area best, led the column at the front, while Lie Ren served as the rear-guard. Ruby Rose and Nora stood ready to reinforce either end, while Qrow roamed more freely, keeping an eye on the entire group, and heading off small threats before they could reach the column. They’d already defended against several Beowolf attacks and had been fortunate not to have any casualties. A couple of deaths, and the resulting negative emotions could draw more Grimm down upon them. That would threaten a cascade, as increasing Grimm led to increasing casualties generating further bad feeling and summoning yet more Grimm. Entire settlements had been destroyed by such spirals. Against Grimm, good morale was vital to survival, and entertaining stories and light-hearted conversation were worth several huntsmen.

Qrow walked up the column, passing villagers as he went. As he passed Rudd Mori, the once-mayor called out to him.

“Ah, Qrow, got something for you,” he said, holding out a piece of paper. Rudd looked a little tired, but his genuine smile suggested his native good cheer was weathering their circumstances.

“What’s this?” asked Qrow, taking the paper.

“A rota. You said you needed volunteers to help keep watch at night?”

True enough. With a group as large as this one huntsman keeping watch wouldn’t cut it. They could double up, but that would tire out those they needed to defend the group. Qrow had asked for villagers to help out, to supplement the huntsman on watch and be ready to raise the alarm if they were attacked at night.

“I did,” Qrow agreed, “though I didn’t expect an entire list.”

Rudd chuckled. “Least we could do, Qrow. You’ve done so much for us, and we’re all in this together. Besides, this is hardly the first time for some; Kobe had to sleep some time.”

“Thanks,” Qrow nodded, and paused to take a quick look at the list. Sure enough, Rudd had been as good as his word, with a couple of volunteers for each watch covering several nights. They could rotate through the list with little worry for fatigue.

It was moments like this that he was glad to have helped the villagers. Sure, keeping a good watch was in the villagers’ own self-interest, but they were good, helpful people. If he and the kids not come along when they did… were it not for that, Shion would have been helpless before Raven and the tribe, and then left for the Grimm. To think that so many good lives depended on such chance timing.

Qrow was used to the callousness of the world, and the kids had seen more of it than he’d have liked, but he still wished to spare them what he could. And the kids were right: it was important to preserve what they could. They were fortunate this time that luck had worked in their favour. Qrow chuckled inwardly. He really wasn’t used to luck working in their favour. He half-wondered when the other shoe would drop.

While he’d stood still, Nora Valkyrie and her audience had caught back up with him.

“ _Unfortunately_ , by the time we got to the clearing it _broke_. Which is a shame, because Ren looked really tired and I was about to offer him a ride too…”

The story was interrupted as a cry was heard in the distance: an eldritch screech which grated against the ears and scratched against the soul. The shriek echoed off the surrounding hills, causing all those around him to look around in alarm. Everyone, that is, save Nora Valkyrie. She stopped dead and became rigid, frozen in place.

“Valkyrie?” he said softly. She didn’t respond, didn’t even turn to acknowledge him. “Hey kid,” he said a little louder. “Nora?” he asked again, taking hold of her shoulder.

Her head snapped round at the touch, her eyes unfocused.

“Easy there! It’s me,” he raised his hand placatingly. “You okay?”

She nodded, seemingly unable or unwilling to speak. He thought about probing further, but Kobe ran up from the front, weapon at the ready.

“ _What_ was that?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

“I don’t know,” Qrow replied. “Nothing I’ve ever heard before.” He kept his eyes on Valkyrie, prepared to wager that at least one member of their group _had_ heard it before. “I don’t think it’s close, whatever it is, though it’s clearly closer than we’d like.”

“It’s getting late in the day,” Kobe said, gesturing towards the dipping sun. “We’ll have to stop soon.”

Qrow nodded. “Keep the group moving forward until you find a defensible site. I’ll catch up.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to see if I can get a closer look at that thing.”

When Qrow arrived just after nightfall, he found the company camped in a clearing, some distance from the surrounding trees. He smiled at Ruby, who greeted him as she stood guard with Crescent Rose, and ruffled her hair as he passed her. Most of the villagers were gathered around several fires sharing their evening meal. Kobe rapidly approached him, offering a bowl of food and some bread.

“Any luck?” he asked.

Qrow dipped the bread in his bowl and took a bite. “Didn’t see anything,” he said between mouthfuls. “I’m not sure if that’s lucky or not.”

He’d taken advantage of Ozpin’s secret ‘gift’, the magical ability – like that given his sister – to transform into a bird, to cover further ground. He hadn’t seen any sign of whatever had made that awful noise, but then there were plenty of places for it to hide amongst all the trees.

“I’m hoping it’s lucky. Everyone’s a little nervy tonight,” Kobe said quietly, nodding at those around them. “Rudd tells me he’s sorted out the volunteers.”

“Yeah, he did,” replied Qrow, passing over the list. “Figure you can take the second watch and I’ll take the third. The kids can take first and fourth.” He paused to look around. “Where are Ren and Valkyrie, anyway?”

“Over there, by the fire opposite,” Kobe indicated with a thumb. “Qrow… everyone’s on edge, but Nora… she seems particularly shaken up about something.”

“Yeah, I noticed earlier,” said Qrow, looking over in their direction. “I’ll have a quick word with them.”

With a parting nod to Shion’s huntsman, he made his way through the villagers and between the campfires and walked towards the pair of trainees. They were sat a little apart from everyone, each with an arm clasped round the other. From a distance it would have been one of those moments that put the lie to Valkyrie’s claims that they weren’t “together-together”, whatever that was supposed to mean. Their faces said otherwise.

He sat down close to them. Valkyrie stared off at some fixed point in absolute silence. He hadn’t seen her this quiet – or this motionless – since he met them in the immediate wake of the fall of Beacon. But it was _Ren_ who took him aback. His silence was no surprise, but it was his expression that spoke volumes. His face was a mask, but it was _transparently_ a mask, his usual impassivity barely concealing something much stronger. His jaw was clenched, while his eyes boiled with some unspoken feeling.

It was at this moment that Qrow realised how little he knew about these kids. For all that he’d accompanied them for a while now, he knew little of their upbringing or their families. They’d never spoken of them, never made a passing comment about home. Did they have one to return to? He’d picked up that they’d had a rough life and were used to spending it on the road. Had they come across that noise – and the creature behind it – before?

“Kids,” he began. Nora didn’t respond, but Ren’s eyes glanced towards him. “I don’t want to pry – Brothers know that there’s plenty in my past I don’t like speaking about – but I want you to consider you might know things we’ll need to know too. Our survival might depend upon it.”

He paused, turning to look at the fire, watched it flicker and burn, consuming the wood. He turned back towards them.

“Also… kids, you’re not alone. Ruby’s here, she’s your friend. And I, well I don’t want to presume, but I’m here for you too.”

The two showed little response, but then Qrow noticed Nora stretching her free hand towards him. He wasn’t good at the touchy-feely stuff, but he picked up the hint and took her hand in his own, giving it a comforting squeeze.

They sat in silence.

Qrow awoke to see Kobe’s silhouette leaning over him.

“Time already?” he asked.

Kobe held a finger over his lips and shook his head, before pointing to the side. Qrow’s mind came to instant alertness and he scrambled up, Harbinger at his side. Picking their way through the camp they made their way to the edge, where one of the volunteers was keeping watch.

“It’s beyond the trees,” he whispered.

Qrow focused his attention of the line of trees ahead. He couldn’t make much out of the darkness beyond, but then he heard it. The sound of _something_ slowly plodding through the undergrowth. It sounded heavy, almost like the footsteps of a horse.

And then it shrieked.

They all flinched at that unearthly cry, so much closer than when they heard it last, as it sent ice down their spines. Qrow and Kobe brought their weapons to bear, as they heard cries of alarm behind them. Much of the camp was waking up. In a moment, a burst of rose petals announced that Ruby was beside Qrow’s side, while just after Ren and Nora came running up, their weapons to hand.

“What is it?” asked Ruby.

“I don’t know,” said Qrow. “Be ready for when it enters the clearing.”

He thought he could make a large shadow amongst the trees, but the light from the moon and the few fires they’d kept burning shed all too little light. The footsteps were louder, accompanied now by the sound of undergrowth and branches snapping. He tensed, ready should it charge towards the camp. A red light appeared amongst the trees, like a burning coal.

Rapid fire filled Qrow’s ears as Ren opened fire with his machine pistols, joined by the sound of Valkyrie’s grenade launcher. Fragments of bark shattered off the trees before the grenades reduced several to splinters. “Stop firing!” Qrow yelled. He reached out to Ren’s shoulder, feeling the shudder of the recoil through his body. “Stop firing!” he repeated, and Ren finally responded, his fingers releasing their hold upon the triggers. Several explosions announced Valkyrie’s last salvo, but she too had managed to stop. “You won’t hit anything beyond the trees,” Qrow said forcefully. “Wait until you have a clear target.”

“Did they get it?” asked Ruby.

“I doubt it,” said Kobe. “It’s as Qrow said. Managed to shoot up some of the forest, though.” He gestured to what they could make of the now tattered tree line.

The camp behind them had truly stirred by now, between the creature’s scream and the gunfire. Yet Qrow kept his senses focused on the forest in front of him, to no avail. For a moment he thought he heard some noise, but all was quiet once more.

He turned around, seeing the worried looks of the villagers. Fear filled the air, “We’ll have a double watch tonight,” he said. It was going to be a rough night.

Few had slept well that night, but there’d been no more appearances by the creature. At dawn, Qrow went to scout the surrounding woods, but saw little sign of it, save for some distinctive hoof prints. In bird form he noticed Ren and Nora looking at the same; by the way Ren silently pointed them out to his companion, they both recognised them.

He needed to get them to talk.

The group had been ready to move on swiftly after breakfast. Few, it seemed, wanted to remain long in the area. Yet tiredness from a sleepless night took its toll: after but a few hours their pace had slowed considerably, and they’d needed earlier and longer breaks.

Worse, between the fears of the night and exhaustion, their mood had plummeted, a fact that became swiftly apparent as several Beowolf packs attacked in one day. They were beginning to attract more Grimm. They’d been fortunate again to avoid any civilian casualties, but the burden was again falling heavily upon the huntsmen and huntresses. While Aura – not to mention their overall fitness – gave them greater strength and endurance then a normal human being, it wasn’t limitless. Each fight drove them closer to the edge, closer to making a mistake. They’d soon begin to lose people, and when that happened the balance would be tipped, and Grimm would begin to swarm after them.

After a long, arduous, day, in which they’d made altogether less progress than Qrow would have liked, the sun began to dip towards the horizon once more. They’d heard no more indication of the creature, and Qrow hoped it had left them alone, perhaps warned off by Ren and Nora’s demonstration of firepower. He’d have liked to think so: despite his best efforts, the two still weren’t talking, hardly exchanging a word with anyone, let alone about what concerned him.

He set a double watch that night, making sure that either he or Kobe would be awake at any given time. That way someone with a level head should always be available. Ruby was talented, but young and impetuous, while Nora… well even at the best of times, Nora was Nora. He’d normally have trusted Ren to be sensible, and yet he found himself concerned about Ren most of all.

The mood in the camp was turning in the camp as they settled down for the night: despite the rough day and too-frequent combat, a warm meal and the promise of sleep offered a cheering prospect. Perhaps they were also hoping that, with the apparent absence of the creature, that the previous night was a terrible exception, a passing aberration. Qrow would have liked to join in their hopes.

He was unsurprised to be woken by Kobe again.

Once again, they made their way to the edge of the camp, this time having woken Ren and Nora en route. Ruby was waiting for them alongside Flae, one of the volunteers for the night. Ruby had Crescent Rose unfolded and aimed at the forest.

“There’s something amongst the trees again,” she said.

“Last night’s visitor?” asked Qrow.

“Possibly,” said Kobe. “Whatever it is, it’s big and heavy: we could hear it breaking through the branches.”

Qrow could hear again the slow plodding steps, as branch and bush were crushed under foot. With each moment he became more convinced that this was indeed the creature of the previous night. Yet why had it not cried out as it had before?

“Hold your fire until you get a clear shot,” he said, glancing at Ren and Nora.

The flickering light of the fires behind them gave little to see by, but the shattered moon was brighter tonight, casting shadows amongst the trees. At first Qrow saw more a suggestion of movement, shadows slowly shifting between the trunks. Then a black shape could be seen, slowly stalking its way closer to them. As it approached, the shape resolved into the form of a large horse and a rider. The eyes of the horse were as red flame, while the reflected moonlight revealed that the remainder of its head was clad in the distinctive white bone of a Grimm, but this was no Grimm that Qrow had ever seen. Steam bellowed from its nostrils as it stepped further out of the trees, its shape becoming progressively more abhorrent, as moonlight shone off its exposed ribs and the rider’s monstrous arms appeared. The rider itself appeared to be part of the horse, combined into one chimeric creation, its horned head too covered in bone plating. The rider began twitching, its arms shuddering and cracking into life while its body jerked upright, an inner flame showing behind its eyes and maw. It looked at them, its bones audibly creaking, before it looked up and gave its demonic cry.

The scream almost sent them backwards as it battered at them. “Now!” Qrow growled and they opened fire. Their shots struck the creature, but to little effect, and it launched on its gargantuan arms forwards, bones popping as the arm _stretched_ in a way no natural thing could move. Qrow pushed Ruby out of the way as they ducked beneath the arm. The clawed hand snatched at the air above them and switching Harbinger into a sword Qrow swung upwards. The beast’s arm retracted, but with another cry it sent its other arm forward, missing Ren and Nora but grabbing hold of Flae. Flae screamed as the arm pulled back, and with another shriek the Grimm crashed back into the trees taking the villager with it.

With a shout Ren charged after it, Nora rapidly following in his stead. Qrow stumbled to his feet and looked on in horror as they plunged into the darkness of the forest.

“Go! Ruby and I will guard the camp!” yelled Kobe.

Without any further prompting Qrow ran after his errant charges. The thick darkness made it difficult to find footing, only glimmers of moonlight breaking through the trees. But a lifetime of fieldwork gave him an edge and he made his way as swiftly as he could in pursuit. The fading noise of smashed branches suggested the Grimm was losing them as it retreated into the distance. He kept moving forward until he almost stumbled across his targets. Ren was on his knees, slumped over and shaking, while Valkyrie clung onto him, clearly preventing him from moving any further. He put a firm hand on both. Valkyrie looked up at him, tears shining under the moon’s pale rays, not releasing her grip on her partner. Ren made no response, although his shaking gradually subsided.

Qrow crouched down beside them. “Kids, you _have_ to talk. We need to know.”

The camp was in some commotion when they returned. Another night attack, another horrific noise in the dark, and now they’d lost someone too. Qrow saw several villagers sobbing, although all seemed upset. In a small village like Shion many had doubtless known the victim all her life. Qrow nodded at Rudd as he passed, the former mayor trying his best to settle the group.

Kobe met Qrow as the latter guided Ren and Nora to a campfire, a hand on each of their shoulders. “Ruby’s on watch, and I’ll be joining her,” Kobe said. He drew closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. “That _thing_ is stalking us. Deliberately.”

Qrow looked at him in alarm, and realised he was right. The creature was clever. By acting as it did, the Grimm provoked panic in their company. By attacking and running each night, it’d disrupt their sleep and incite fear, and leave them ever less able in the face of ever-increasing Grimm. They’d be lucky if they weren’t drowning in Beowolves tomorrow. And that thing would be waiting, letting its lesser brethren exhaust them, letting the huntsman expend their energy and ammunition until they had little left of either to give. And then it would strike.

“What are we going to do?” asked Kobe.

“I don’t know yet,” whispered Qrow. “I’ll speak to these two – they know _something_ – and perhaps we can then come up with a plan.” He paused. Ruby was better at inspiring people, but it needed to be done. “We’ll work something out. We’ll beat this thing.”

“I hope so,” Kobe replied, “I really hope so.” He turned and wandered back to his post.

Qrow guided the two trainees to one of the remaining fires and sat them down. He sat down with them, studying their faces in the flickering light.

“I told you before I didn’t want to poke around in your business, but it’s time. That Grimm risks the survival of this entire company. You both know something, and whatever little you know might help us to figure out a way to beat this thing.”

Ren remained silent and looked away, his face overcome with rare feeling. Nora stared at Ren, fear seeping out of her.

“As I told you a while ago, I want to help. But neither I nor anyone else can unless we know something,” Qrow added.

Nora turned towards him, a hint of resolve in her eyes. “We… we lived in a village, not too far away from here,” she began. “In Kuroyuri. I was already an orphan, but Ren lived with his family. They were… kind, when others were not.

“And then… then the Grimm attacked. The village was destroyed, everyone killed. Ren and I were the only survivors. His semblance… it suppresses and masks negative emotion. It kept us hidden and allowed us to escape.”

“And something like that was amongst the Grimm that attacked your village?”

“Not something _like_ that,” Ren spoke up vehemently. “That very creature! That beast killed my parents!”

“The same one?”

“I checked!” Ren said with unusual heat. “I looked up Grimm. While at Beacon I checked all the records I could. There’s been nothing like that thing. It’s unique! And now we’re here, and its back again!”

Nora reached out and took hold of Ren’s arm, concern in her eyes.

“Ren, we’ve looked after each other ever since we were children. We’ve never had anyone else, not till we got to Beacon, not till team JNPR. And now Jaune’s dead, and Pyrrha left. I don’t want to lose you too! Not like Pyrrha lost Jaune.”

Ren looked at Nora.

“ _Promise_ me, Ren! Don’t get yourself killed! Don’t let it end like this!”

Qrow felt like an intruder. No wonder the two had been so quick to chase after Nikos. They hadn’t just lost a teammate, a friend. _Family_ , they’d said. They’d been orphaned all over again.

He spoke up anyway. “I've already lost one of you kids. I don't want to lose another. Make it pay for what it did, stop it from killing anyone else, but don't throw yourself away to do it. Don't make your friends mourn you.”

“How are we going to do that?” Ren asked softly.

“We’re huntsmen. We’re going to kill it.”

The two gazed at him. “How?” Nora asked. “At the moment it seems to be hunting us…”

“It is,” Qrow said, as the half-formed idea in his mind crystalised. “It’s smart, and it’s strong, and it’s been tracking us. But it’s time to return the favour. Your semblance that Nora mentioned; how many people can you cover?”

“Not many,” said Ren. “Only a few. I can’t cover the whole group.”

“How about four?”

####  _Shiroi Logistics Warehouse, Mistral_

“Another quiet night?”

“You know it, Deery.” The White Fang guard she’d come to relieve looked relaxed, as she had done the previous morning and the morning before that. She turned from the window and nodded in Deery’s direction. “Nothing much happens around here.”

Deery took the room in at a glance. Once again, she’d been posted to guard the second-floor offices as part of the dawn shift. This part of the building served little purpose now, but it was part of their home away from home and needed to be guarded.

“I hear some of our brothers have had a few turf wars with the local gangs.”

“That’s local cells, dabbling their hands with ‘alternative’ fundraising,” Calli replied, using her hands to indicate quotation marks. “In other words, stupid rot they should never have gotten involved in. We’re just sitting here quietly, nothing’s going to happen.”

“Don’t let the Lieutenant hear you say that,” Deery said, walking over and passing over a mug.

“You mean ‘Banesaw’?” Calli asked, again making quotation marks before taking the mug.

“You know he doesn’t like that name.”

“I don’t know why not. It’s a cool nickname. It’s intimidating.”

“You _know_ why not.”

“If he doesn’t want to be called that he shouldn’t wield a _chainsaw_ ,” Calli said, taking a sip. “Ah, that’s good. Thanks, Deery, you’re a star.”

“Not the first time I’ve served coffee.” Deery replied. It was true: just earlier this year she’d simply been a waitress who’d gotten tired at being pushed around by drunken louts.

Who’d have thought life could change so much, and so quickly?

Out of frustration she’d attended a few meetings. Public ones at first, but a few new friends lead her to more illicit ones. She’d sought out opportunities to vent, but instead found a path. Adam Taurus had offered a vision and by embracing it, she’d been given a cause.

A cause to die for. A cause to kill for. And kill she had. She’d fought at the Breach, and then in the attack on Beacon, the White Fang’s greatest victory to date. Would the former waitress recognise herself in the soldier she’d become?

“You must find this a little boring too, Deery?” asked Calli, breaking her from her reverie.

“Well, _yes_ ,” Deery admitted. “Vale was constant action at the end. Here we’ve just been waiting around. But Adam asked us to lay low for a while, and I trust him. And he trusts us, knows us, has led us into battle. He’ll need us again, and I’m sure he has something big planned for us. So yes, things might be dull right now, but Adam will bring us action soon enough. We just need to keep following him, and he’ll change the world.”

“ _Wow_ ,” Calli laughed. “Thought about becoming a recruiter?”

“Too boring for me,” Deery chuckled. “I _do_ like action. And you’re right, when it’s time it won’t be some nonsense with local crime lords. We have a higher mission.”

“Well I’m going to need some sleep before any higher mission,” Calli said, “So I’m going down to the dorm to get some shut eye.”

“Be seeing you, Calli,” Deery waved, before slipping her rifle off her shoulder and placing it in both hands, assuming responsibility for the post. Calli slipped out, leaving Deery alone. There were other sentries on this floor, but she was the only one covering these last few offices. The bulk of the White Fang here were in the main warehouse, taking stock of the arms the Lieutenant had gathered under his watchful eye. Hardly exciting work, but Deery would have preferred it to this. Calli wasn’t wrong, guarding these offices was mind-numbingly tedious. Who even knew they were here? But it had to be done, and so Deery would do it.

“Position Four, check in,” came a voice over the radio incorporated into her mask.

“Check,” she replied.

She turned from the window to pass into the next room. The offices on this side of the building were partitioned into sections, meaning one had to pass through each in turn through the doorways connecting them. Typically, she’d rotate through them all, partly for duty’s sake and partly for the sake of variety. Not that they offered much. One defunct office looked much the same as any other, after all.

The final office in this run was a dead end. It was small and stuffy, made much narrower by the large filling cabinets that filled either side. Presumably it’d just been a storage room for records long gone. It had even less of interest, but she peered round through the doorway anyway for completeness sake.

 _Calli!_ she thought with exasperation. She’d left the window at the end wide open. She walked her way past the filing cabinets and looked out the window. It was some distance up from the ground, but there was little of interest outside: an empty bay below, and more warehouses directly across. It was hardly an inspiring view. Deery pulled the window closed and locked the latch, before turning around.

She gasped, as she felt what seemed like a punch to her gut.

She found herself staring into the face of an armoured figure, clad in black and bronze and scarlet. She couldn’t move. She looked down to see the figure holding a sword to, no _in_ , her belly. She looked back up and the figure grabbed her head, hand smothering her mouth. Heat congealed in her stomach. All she could see behind the bronzed helm were cold green eyes.

The figure shoved her sword forward and _up_.

Pyrrha kept low as she made her way softly around the offices. She’d eliminated three guards after that first by the window. She wasn’t proud of it, but they deserved worse. These were all ‘veterans’ of Vale. How many innocents had they killed? How many more had they helped kill because they chose to side with Cinder Fall in an attack against all humanity? They’d help kill… she bit back the thought, lest she be distracted. They’d shown no mercy. They’d be shown none in return.

She peered around the doorway of this last set of offices, seeing beyond it a metal walkway that stretched across the main part of the warehouse. It ran close to the wall on the one side, while running along the other was some sort of interior crane suspended on two girders. beyond that she could make out a large assortment of weapons and stores on the warehouse floor, surrounded by White Fang soldiers. She took careful note of the figure directing them, a large, masked man with a distinctive chainsaw strapped to his back. There. He was her target; she was sure of it.

The walkway spanned the entire length of the room before stairs descended at the other end. She’d be exposed if she tried crossing. Perhaps there was some other, less obvious, way down. She looked one side, then the other, but then her eye was caught. There was a commotion amongst the White Fang: their leader began yelling at his troops, pointed at some and gestured towards the steps. The rest began picking up weapons. Her presence been discovered.

Time to do this the hard way.

The Lieutenant – for that is what he called himself even in his head, it expressing his _true_ self – stood supervising his men as they went over the arms supply that he’d obtained. Some counted, others checked the stock, making sure the equipment appeared in working order, while others – Turk with his distinctive breastplate over his uniform, for instance – stood nearby to keep an accurate record.

They’d had to shed some valuable equipment in the retreat from Vale and they were more lightly armed than he liked. He didn’t know when Adam would call upon him, but he was determined that he and his troop would be ready for anything asked of them. He owed Adam everything, and would give him everything, especially if it gave further opportunity for vengeance against their oppressors. He was Adam’s Lieutenant, after all.

A pity he hadn’t managed to kill that Schnee he’d fought on the train. Both he and Adam owed the SDC with interest. But perhaps the opportunity would come again. They’d struck a powerful blow against Vale. He felt sure their presence in Mistral was no mistake. And then after that? Could mighty Atlas be so far behind?

He’d _enjoy_ that.

Action would be good for his men, too. Idleness made them weak. Soft and sloppy. He could see it now in the way they set about their work. Didn’t they know how important this was? Being sure your equipment worked, knowing how much ammunition you had, could make a life or death difference on an operation. He knew they were capable of better. They’d done him proud at Beacon, made the humans and the race-traitors squeal. That was a fine bit of work. But they were easily distracted by nothing.

Still, at least they listened to him. He knew they respected him, even if half referred to him by that ridiculous name behind his back. There were a lot of reasons to hate that name. But he’d reject any name he hadn’t chosen for himself. To do any less felt like a concession to his oppressors, a violation of the promise he’d made when he’d discarded his former name and followed Adam from that hole they called a mine.

“Lieutenant,” he heard the voice come over the radio. “Positions 4 through 7 have failed to respond to a radio check…”

He cut them short. “What! That means we have someone in the building!”

“It could be a radio fault…”

“Which only affects all the sentries guarding the second-floor offices?! Guess again! Alert everyone!” He turned to the men in front of him. “Grab your weapons, we have an intruder. You, you and you, take the walkway! You four, main staircase…”

He was interrupted by a terrible wrenching noise and the snapping of metal. He looked up, to see the crane above them pulled _up_ , off the girders that supported it, and _twist_ in the air. Suddenly it plunged, plummeting sidewise down into the assembled White Fang.

“Look out!” he yelled, throwing himself aside. Others heard or saw the coming danger and flung themselves out of the way. But some – all too many – were not quick enough and were crushed under the sickening thud.

The Lieutenant rose to his feet to see a figure drop from the walkway, landing far more softly than it had any right too. The woman – for while armoured it was clearly a woman – was clad in classical bronzed armour on top of black cloth. A scarlet sash was wrapped round her waist, fluttering for having dropped through the air. A shield was on her left arm, and a blade in her right, covered in blood. The blood of his brothers and sisters.

He pulled his chainsaw from behind his back, while his remaining men levelled their guns. “Kill her!” he roared. Yet she raised her arm and pulled back, and the Lieutenant felt a tug on his weapon. He held on tight, refusing to be disarmed, but the weapons of his men went flying from their hands. The intruder then launched herself at the nearest men, her shield flying before her to knock several off their feet. The shield returned to her hand, while her blade – no, now it was a javelin – stabbed out in repeated blows, before catching two deep in their midriffs. As they howled in pain, their assailant twisted back to land by one of their prone comrades. Bringing the Javelin round, she stabbed _down_ , ensuring another brother would never rise again.

 _No more!_ The Lieutenant charged forwards, his chainsaw revving as he brought in round to attack. She somersaulted away from the swing and used her shield to bash another man aside. The soldier beside him surged forwards to grapple with her but she brought her helmet forwards against his face with a crunch. He dropped, and she kicked him down. Leaping forward, she then brought her boot down hard, and _twisted_.

Surrounded by the prone – or worse – bodies of his men, the Lieutenant closed again. She ducked another swing of his chainsaw but was caught by his left fist. She recoiled from the blow, and struck out with her weapon, now back in its sword mode. The Lieutenant simply soaked up the damage, drawing on his great endurance to take the hits while bringing the chainsaw down. She caught the blow on her shield, sparks flying from it as she was driven to her knees. Yet she sent a slash against his legs and then with a powerful shove sent the chainsaw back above him with her shield, driving him back.

She struck again, her weapon once more a javelin as she stabbed out at him in a flurry of blows. He brought his chainsaw round and down, parrying the spear to the side, and then grabbed hold of her throat and held her aloft. He tensed his muscles, trying to break past her Aura and crush her throat. She kicked out with her armoured boot, catching his jaw, but he held on despite the pain, determined to kill this interloper.

To his surprise, she dropped her weapon. She brought her empty hand round and suddenly it was full of fire. Flame jetted towards his face and despite the protection of his Aura he felt agony. His eyes shut, he screamed in pain and let go. _What demon in human form is this?_

Her shield now smashed against his head again and again, breaking his Grimm mask and sending the pieces flying. He stumbled back and opened his eyes, to see her weapon soar back into her hand. She charged forwards again, lunging first with her shield knocking him off balance. She span round to her left, sword outstretched to catch him full on the side. He was sent sprawling, his Aura cracking as it did.

He could hear gunfire again and looked to see more of his troops spilling into the room from the dorms. The attacker took shelter behind her shield, returning fire as her weapon now took the form of a rifle, before ducking into cover.

“Get out of there, Sir!” yelled Calli, leading the rest of the unit to his aid. He stumbled up and ran over to them, refusing to let his pain stop him.

“I’ve got to get word to Adam,” he said.

“We’ll hold her off,” said Calli, then smiled. “Kill her if we’re lucky!”

Without waiting the Lieutenant ran through the door, through the former staff areas that they’d converted into a barracks. The gunfire had now become scattered, interspersed with screams and cries of pain.

Perhaps she’d be tired. Perhaps they’d taxed her Aura enough to drive her off or even eliminate her.

His gut said otherwise.

He got to the small room that had become his “office” and grabbed his scroll from the makeshift desk. Dialling the right number, he waited.

It rang.

Perry’s face appeared on the screen as he answered.

“Perry,” the Lieutenant said.

Perry’s eyes opened in alarm, as he doubtless caught sight of the Lieutenant’s wounds.

“What the hell happened to you?”

“I have little time. You need to get word to Adam. We’ve been attacked. A lone female, very powerful, probably human but hard to be sure…”

“Hold on, I can get a team together, come and help you…”

“There’s not enough time for us. Contact Adam. Let him know. Avenge us.”

Perry’s face became solemn. “So long, Brother.”

The Lieutenant cut the connection. His Aura was still shattered, but he planned to face any possible death with some dignity. He turned around.

To see their assailant standing there, patiently, weapon in hand.

She was not unscathed, though he wagered most of the blood wasn’t hers. This close, he could make out her emerald green eyes behind her helm.

“Why did you let me finish the call?” he asked finally.

"Why not?” she said in a deceptively soft voice. “You did _exactly_ what I wanted you to."

She brought her rifle to bear.

####  _The Wilds_

The following day had been as rough as they were expecting. They’d failed to find Flae’s body, and as soon as they’d set out had been beset by a Beowolf attack. During the early afternoon they’d spent an hour with the villagers huddled against a cliff-face, while the huntsmen and huntresses held the line against a veritable swarm of Grimm. By the time the sun dropped down once more the entire company were exhausted.

But they weren’t done yet.

Kobe, as agreed, had led the villagers on to a defensible spot where they camped once more. He had the unenviable task of defending the camp with only the aid of a few untrained volunteers. It was expected that the creature stalking them would find them here too, and once more fall upon them in the night.

Yet this time, it was not the only thing lying in wait.

Just short of the camp, Qrow, Nora, Ren and Ruby lay in the darkness, in a spot of their choosing. The creature, for all its cleverness, had always followed a direct route in pursuing its prey. They now waited quietly amidst the trees, concealed from any observers by the terrain, and with Ren’s semblance to conceal them from the Grimm. They’d prepared their ground, and now the only thing to do was wait.

Qrow had given some final counsel to Ren, hoping to keep him focused, to help him remember that if this was going to work, they needed to do it as a team.

"This won’t make everything right and it won't bring anybody back. But it might help a little: it might give you some space for healing. Just remember the living,” he said, with a nod in the direction of Nora.

Only scattered rays of moonlight pierced through the forest canopy. The team strained their ears in the silence, trying to listen to the faintest indication that their enemy had appeared. The forest was a surprisingly noisy place in the night when one was still, as they could make out the scurrying of small animals and the cry of owls.

Then a new stillness came upon them, as if the forest itself held its breath in hushed suspense. Then, at first ever so quietly and at great distance, they heard the cracking of branches as something large made its way through the woods. Qrow looked from his low perch but could yet see little movement amongst the shadows. The noise, however, became steadily clearer, and louder, as the sound of something heavy drew closer. Heavy plodding, crushing the undergrowth of the forest under foot. A shadow moved closer, as two red flames appeared. The slow thud of the feet came ever nearer, its sound rivalled only by the beat of their hearts as they held in anticipation. The shadow took form, a great steed with burning eyes and fearsome mien, with a twitching, unnatural horned rider with great arms growing from its back. Qrow counted inwardly as step by step, foot by foot, the creature drew nigh.

“Now Ruby!” he yelled.

At his word, Ruby fired Crescent Rose at her pre-aimed target, sending a fire dust round into the piles of wood they’d prepared. It ignited, sending a sheet of flame up as a barrier behind the creature. It gave its awful screech as Qrow leapt forward, Harbinger in hand. Nora and Ren charged forward to attack, Ren already firing his machine pistols as he dashed forwards. The beast’s claws came forward; Qrow parried the blow with Harbinger but Ren was caught, flung against the trunk of a tree.

Qrow moved into the side of the Grimm, swinging his blade against its torso, but found his blow scraping along its ribs. Nora swung her hammer against its legs, but the creature reared on its hind legs, prepared to bring its front claws down on top of her.

“Nora!” Ruby cried, and using her speed dashed in and caught Nora, pushing her out of the way of the descending feet. Ren moved back in, circling out of the way of its arm and opened fire once more. Qrow aimed a blow at its back legs but was caught when the arm on his side swung back, knocking him off his feet.

“Keep moving around!” yelled Ruby, using her speed to dodge its blows and the others began circling to avoid its arms. Nora parried one claw with her hammer in a blow that should have smashed it, but the arm came swiftly in once more. Ren used the sickle like blades to cut into the other arm, then leapt out of the way. Qrow got back on his feet and switched Harbinger into its scythe mode and jumped to attack it from behind. He got one blow in, but the beast seemed to shrug off the damage. _What can we do to harm this thing?_ Qrow wondered.

Then, with a jarring crack, it flung its arms at a seeming impossible length, and swung them at impossible angles. Qrow got caught again in a sharp blow against the ribs and was shoved back against a tree. Nora was struck likewise, though kept her feet and twirled to the side. The arms continued their great arcs, hitting Ren as he poured fire into the body of the beast and sending him flying. With a flash of light his Aura shattered, sending him spawling.

One down, Nora was pushed back, and Qrow was struggling to his feet. He felt a sense of panic as the creature’s arms converged on Ruby. Her red cloak fluttered as she danced out of the way, and then with far greater strength than one would expect she brought Crescent Rose down over her head in an arc, slicing into one of the monstrous hands and punching through, the blade digging into the ground beneath. The creature shrieked in rage but was unable to pull its arm free.

“Uncle Qrow!” Ruby yelled. “Pin the other arm!”

Qrow propelled himself forward, ducking and rolling through the rough undergrowth as the other arm swung round. He stood, waiting for the arm to come back round. As it curved back, he dodged backwards, and brought Harbinger down, its blade driving through the wrist and into the ground below.

“Nora, now!” he yelled.

Nora moved in, swinging her great hammer in a great blow that smashed against the head of the horse. She spun round, her hammer arcing once more in the opposite direction, crushing the exposed ribs. The front legs of the beast kicked out, knocking Nora flying, but the lower half of the creature then slumped as it fell to its knees.

The rider however continued to shriek, and Qrow felt Harbinger begin to give as the beast tried to tug its arms free. He could see Ruby having similar trouble holding Crescent Rose down.

“We need to kill both halves,” he yelled. But Ruby was stuck pinning the other arm while Nora had yet to come to her feet. In just a few moments it would pull free.

And then Ren dashed in. Crescent Rose went flying, and an arm pulled free and whipped round. Without Aura Ren was defenceless, but he ducked beneath the arm’s lunge and brought a dagger upon its shoulder. The dagger sliced through the arm, cutting it clean off. The creature screamed in Ren’s face, tugging on its other arm, but Ren brought the dagger down again, hacking off the other arm. It shrieked once more but Ren was unmoved and cut forward with the blade for a final time. It carved through the creature’s neck, and the creature was silenced, as its horned head fell from the neck and hit the ground with a thud.

Ren audible exhaled and fell to his knees, dropping his dagger. The body of the beast began to dissolve, turning into black vapour as all dead Grimm did, while Qrow took a moment to breathe. Ruby got up, apparently little worse for wear and recovered Crescent Rose, while Nora, now back on her feet, ran for Ren and flung herself around him, a small giggle expressing her relief. Qrow slowly walked over to Ren.

“Gutsy move, charging in without Aura,” he said.

“I wasn’t trying to get myself killed,” Ren replied, breathing heavily, Nora still hanging on him. “But I had to help and saw an opening. Part of a team, right?”

“Right,” said Qrow. He bent over and picked up the dagger Ren had dropped. He looked it over, admiring its craftsmanship. “It’s a fine blade,” he said, offering it back to Ren.

Ren nodded, sheathing it. “It was my father’s.”

Qrow patted his arm and checked on the others. Nora had a few scratches – her own Aura must have given out in that final blow – but was otherwise okay, even ecstatic as she hugged Ren, while Ruby smiled, having checked to make sure her beloved Crescent Rose was undamaged.

It was but a short walk to the camp, and as they broke through the trees they saw most of the company were awake and looking in their direction. Of course, Qrow thought, they’d have heard the monster’s cries from here, the return of another night terror. Kobe approached, apparently relieved as his eyes passed over all four of them, and tilted his head in an unspoken question. Qrow nodded in response and a smile broke across Kobe’s lean features.

He turned to see the crowd of villagers gathered, and realised they saw little of his exchange with Kobe in the poor light and could see only four exhausted huntsmen and huntresses. Conscious of their need for good morale – for the villagers to see a clear win, and to have heroes to inspire them – he took hold Ren’s arm and thrust it upward, holding it as a sign of victory. The crowd was silent at first, but then whispered expressions of relief and muttered prayers of thanksgiving rolled over the crowd. Gasps of laughter could soon be heard and then scattered cheers, and members of the camp began hugging each other. Ren looked at Qrow in surprise but was soon swamped as villagers came over to thank them, embracing each of the trainees in turn.

“Qrow,” Rudd had ambled over. “I don’t know how to thank you, or your kids.” To Qrow’s shock, the big man embraced him too, before releasing him.

“Well, we’re not done yet…” said Qrow.

Rudd barked in laughter. “Oh, I’ll not tempt fate. But you did great work. When we get to the end of this, anything we can do, you just need to ask.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Qrow grunted. As they spoke Kobe re-joined them.

“Watch tonight?” he asked.

“We’ll take care of it between us,” Qrow replied. “Let the kids get a good night’s sleep.”

It was a good night, after all. Tonight, at least one demon had been killed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter proved to be a bit of a beast, with a lot going on and some extensive action (and I find action challenging to write, so hopefully it’s come off okay). The chapter is done now, though, and represents a significant step forward in the story. Thank for all the reviews and comments, all much appreciated.


	9. Chapter Eight: A Maiden's Call

####  _A Room in Mistral_

Washing her armour had taken some time.

Pyrrha was no novice at the task, of course. But for all its spectacle, fighting in the duelling ring hadn’t presented the same issues, not when both fighters possessed Aura and would stop once it dropped below a certain point. As for fighting the Grimm, they conveniently evaporated upon death. Lengthy combat would leave armour dirty and soiled, but her previous combat activities had been comparatively bloodless. In a quite literal fashion.

She worried for a moment about the stains that wouldn’t wash off. The ones that couldn’t be seen. But only for a moment. She was already stained by Penny’s death in any case. And this was far from innocent blood. Beacon, Penny, Jaune, so many others. They owed a great debt, and if she didn’t make them pay, then who would? This was justice. This was necessary.

Pyrrha turned her attention to the two large holdall bags resting on her bed, her ‘haul’ from her raid on the warehouse. It was only fitting to turn the White Fang’s own resources upon them. She unzipped the first bag, now she had time to properly evaluate what she’d collected. She’d grabbed hold of whatever looked useful and could carry, but time had been pressing; more White Fang might have appeared, or the local police may have arrived to investigate the sound of gunfire. Perhaps the former would be a minor obstacle, but the latter was a complication she utterly needed to avoid.

She began emptying the contents, sorting them into various piles. Pyrrha hadn’t taken any guns or blades: she had her own. But explosives were another matter. Grenades, flashbangs, and an assortment of other material she’d taken like flares. She was no expert in the use of such things, nor an outright enthusiast like Nora, but she was a diligent and gifted student of the art of combat. As a tournament champion, she’d had to learn to fight against whatever her opponents could throw at her (and there’d been some ‘interesting’ choices). As a trainee huntress, she’d studied the tactical application of a variety of weapons; even if she didn’t use them, teammates did. She needed to know what they could do, in case she’d ever had to issue orders to someone like Nora in the field.

Not that Nora _listened_ to many people, she thought with a pang of fondness. She listened to Ren, of course. Professor Port, oddly enough. And Jaune. He’d earned her fierce loyalty so quickly he’d never realised he’d done anything special, that it was one of the things Pyrrha saw in him…

Pyrrha took a breath and bit back a tear. She missed them all. She’d hope to see Ren and Nora again, but there was little room in her heart for hope right now. But perhaps they were well, and perhaps they’d forgive her for leaving them. This was a path she couldn’t ask anyone else to risk.

She pushed herself back to the matter of weapons. Pyrrha had always preferred more traditional weapons, but even Miló had a ranged mode and she was a more than capable shot. Now that Pyrrha was pushing her semblance to greater heights – not to mention using outright _magic_ – it was even harder to claim any pure adherence to the classical arts. Moreover, her present course demanded pragmatism. She knew, now better than ever, that she wasn’t invincible. She’d seen the price of that. She couldn’t afford to lose, ever again.

A stand-up fight could be exhilarating, but it carried unnecessary risks. If Pyrrha was to accomplish all that she desired, to do what needed to be done, then she had to be prepared to do whatever was necessary to tip the odds in her favour before a fight even started. She’d already adapted to disarming her opponents as quickly as possible. Traps, ambush tactics, these were all viable strategies too. Few seemed to respond quickly enough with their Aura when caught by surprise. But this required anticipating the opponent’s moves.

The warehouse Pyrrha had just left was key. When Adam came – and she was sure he would – he’d investigate that warehouse. She’d have to keep it under observation but could hardly do so constantly. She wasn’t well acquainted with electronic surveillance, and besides, Mistral was no Atlas. So she had to narrow down the time frame in which he’d be expected…

Night-time. The White Fang preferred to operate at night. The White Fang’s operations in Vale – those under Adam’s personal leadership – had been no different. He’d come at night, while others slept and when they could take advantage of Faunus’ superior night vision. Pyrrha had to negate that somehow if she was to take them on at that time. She pondered the matter, as she looked thoughtfully at the arsenal before her.

That Adam was not in Mistral and had to be contacted indirectly also suggested he wouldn’t show up immediately. Pyrrha had a little time yet, especially for operations during the day. Perhaps there was a way to draw him in all the quicker and put him further off balance. A further way to hurt the White Fang. She’d dealt so far with elements that had come straight from Vale, but there were local branches too. She’d learned as much from the bar owner’s and the Lieutenant’s scrolls. They may not have been involved with Beacon, but they could well be drawn into Cinder’s plans for Haven. But she needed to find them.

Pyrrha turned and gazed over at the other bag, the one whose contents she’d gathered on a half-formed whim. The local White Fang had a spot of local trouble, didn’t they? The whim solidified into an idea. It wasn’t one she liked, there was something distasteful about it. But if it helped her remove more terrorists from Remnant then it’d do some good, no mattered who she had to cross paths with. And if it brought her closer to finding and removing the threat of Fall herself?

It was necessary.

####  _Higanbana_

“Well this is less than ideal.”

“I’m sorry Qrow. I really hoped we’d be able to offer you some immediate help.”

Qrow waved Rudd off, to reassure him that he didn’t hold him responsible. “It’s not your fault.”

“But still disappointing, right? I know you were keen to get to Mistral as quickly as possible.”

After defeating the creature that stalked them, the remainder of the journey to Higanbana had been much smoother, eased by the sky-high morale of the villagers in the wake of their victory. Qrow had dared to hope that from Higanbana they could simply catch the airship straight to Mistral. After enduring the cheers of the people of Shion – now reunited with their children and loved ones – and the considerably more reserved greeting of Higanbana’s representatives, he’d made his way with Rudd and Kobe to check on the vessel. Only to discover it undergoing considerable repairs, courtesy of the damage it endured at the hands of the Spring Maiden.

He should have known his luck would hold.

“We’re fortunate she managed to struggle to Higanbana at all,” claimed the pilot, taking a break from working alongside his small crew. “After that freak storm we were limping the whole way, roughest trip I’ve ever had.”

“You could have joined us for a walk,” Qrow growled.

“Whoah now,” the pilot held his palms up. “Let’s not go crazy: I heard what you all went through. I’m glad I missed it. Much as I’m glad you were there to help out.”

“And we’re really like to help Qrow and his team out for all they’ve done for us,” said Rudd, steering the conversation back around. “They need to get to Mistral. And we’d like to send some people there too.”

Qrow glanced at Kobe and raised an eyebrow.

“We need to report the attack on Shion, and Higanbana will want to send someone too,” Kobe said softly, answering the silent question.

“To ask for help with refugees?”

“Right,” Kobe confirmed. “They’ll help us out, but they’re hardly overjoyed at an entire village descending on them. In fairness, resources are going to be very stretched round here, even with us all pitching in to help out.”

While Qrow and Kobe spoke quietly, Rudd and the pilot had continued to discuss the condition of the airship.

“She will fly again, Rudd. I can do what you’re asking me to do. But we need at least another week to finish patching her up.”

“Another week?!” exclaimed Qrow.

Rudd and the pilot turned to Qrow in surprise.

“It can’t be done any faster, not with the tools we have. I’m really sorry,” said the pilot.

Qrow felt a little sheepish. “Sorry, the kids have a friend we believe is in Mistral, and we think she’s in danger.”

Rudd’s eyes softened at that. “You people really are heroes, you know? Sorry we can’t do much more for you. But the airship will still be faster than walking if you’re prepared to wait.”

“Next settlements along are Oniyuri and Kuroyuri,” said Kobe. The latter sounded familiar to Qrow’s ears, but Kobe continued. “Both of them are destroyed by Grimm, so you won’t find anything to speed your way there.”

“Thanks,” Qrow replied. “I’ll have to talk it over with the kids. I’ll let you know.”

Rudd took his hand and gave it a parting shake. “No problem, Qrow, just give us the word. And thank you.”

Qrow thanked them and made his way to the inn they were staying at. Rooms were at a premium, but the people of Shion had insisted they have one of them, although that’s been before he learned their stay might be extended. He entered the inn, to see Ruby and Nora huddled together in the common room, chatting.

“Pipsqueak, Valkyrie,” he nodded towards them.

“Any word on the airship, Uncle Qrow?” asked Ruby.

“Bad news, kids: it needs at least another week of repairs. We can either wait for it to be fixed or set out by foot.”

“What gets us there quicker?” asked Nora.

“The airship. But it means sitting around here doing nothing.”

“I’m sure we can find ways to help out here,” said Ruby. “And if the airship gets us there quicker then it’s a no-brainer.”

“And we’ve done enough walking!” Nora agreed.

“All true,” Qrow said. “I just didn’t know how you’d feel about sticking around here when Nikos could be in trouble.”

“We feel like picking whichever option is quickest,” Nora said with a roll of her eyes. “We’re not _idiots_. Besides, Pyrrha’s tough. She’ll be there when we get there, you’ll see. She _gave_ you a good fight.”

“I could’ve taken her,” Qrow scoffed. “But I’ll take your word for it.” He paused and looked around for the fourth member of their party. “Where’s Ren?”

“On the wall,” Nora said, a touch more softly. “He said he needed some time to think.”

“I’ll go talk to him, run this past him,” Qrow nodded. “Stay out of trouble while I’m gone,” he said with a wink.

“Will do, old man,” said Ruby. “Try not to meet Yang’s mom again.”

Qrow shot her a look but she simply replied with a smile. He chuckled and left the pair to their conversation.

Unlike Shion, Higanbana was well defended by substantial walls, a detail Qrow found reassuring in light of having to shepherd Shion’s civilians through the wilderness. Yet it made the task of tracking down Ren a little challenging than he expected. He’d expected he might find Ren by the western gate, looking back the way they came, but was a little surprised to eventually find him looking out over the eastern walls.

“Ren?” Qrow called out.

The boy nodded, although he didn’t turn his gaze.

“We’re going to have to wait if we want to take the airship. It’s still quicker than walking though, so I and the others think we should.”

“That seems best,” Ren replied flatly, continuing to look out over the wall.

Qrow remembered where he’d heard of Kuroyuri before.

“Your home village is that way, isn’t it?” he asked.

“It _was_.” Ren replied. “Not far past Oniyuri. Both met fate at the same hands.”

“Hands we stopped.”

Ren’s expression eased, and for the first time he turned towards Qrow. “We did, didn’t we?”

“Did you want to go there?” Qrow asked, nodding at the horizon. “Even if we go by airship, we might be able to drop by.”

“No,” Ren shook his head. “There’s not much there now for me or Nora. We’ve dealt with the unfinished business. There’s little there now but memories.”

“I hear those matter.”

A faint smile crossed Ren’s face. “The important ones are already here,” he said, tapping his head.

They stayed in comfortable silence for a while, gazing over the walls, Qrow caught for a moment in his own memories. He looked back over at Ren. The kid seemed in a better place; his burdens eased by his victory over the monster that destroyed his childhood. Could confronting the demons of the past help him? Could it help Nikos? He winced at that thought: He didn’t want her anywhere near Fall. Not if he could help it.

“Come on, kid, the others are waiting for you,” he eventually said, and he and Ren turned from the walls. Just as he turned away, however, he felt one last sensation and looked back. The view was unchanged, he couldn’t see anything. And yet, just for a moment, he felt like they were being watched.

He filed the thought for later as they made their ways off the wall. Whatever it was shouldn’t be able to stop them now, but he’d stay wary. He always did.

####  _A White Fang Hideout, Anima_

“I’m not in the habit of repeating myself Adam,” a proud and regal voice said, “so I tell you this once: I will not authorise _any_ further operations until we have had an… opportunity to discuss recent events in Beacon. In person.”

Adam Taurus, and a few select members of the White Fang, watched the video screen before them. On the screen was a beautiful but severe-looking Faunus woman, with a dark complexion, black hair, the ears of a tiger and piercing amber eyes. Sienna Khan, High Leader of the White Fang, glared at them through the screen.

“Then there is the matter of these associates of yours, a group of humans of whom we know little. Another item for urgent discussion. You have requested a meeting: you have it, as quickly as you can get here. Send word via the courier who brought you this message and do not be _late_.”

The recording terminated.

“It seems,” Adam spoke, “that the High Leader lacks the vision to see what is possible.”

“She will never agree with an attack on Haven, that much seems certain,” said Rajah, a bear Faunus who had much sway in the Mistrali White Fang.

“Adam, if she will not lead us in this, we’ll follow you,” growled Gray Tiber, a wolf Faunus from Vale.

“I can’t do this alone,” Adam replied. “I’ll need the full resources of the White Fang, especially the Mistral branch, behind me.”

The third present spoke up. ”Adam, you have the loyalty of those who followed you from Vale. Many in Mistral respect and admire you. Fennec and Corsac Albain have likewise told me to assure you that the Menagerie branch is likewise in your favour. Should the upcoming meeting offer an opportunity for some leadership changes… with the right story the Fang will follow you.”

“Thank you, Yuma,” Adam nodded towards the bat Faunus. “The support of the Albain brothers means much to me. As does the support of you all. It is a pity the timidity of our current High Leader is holding the revolution back. But if she should become some… unfortunate martyr to our cause, then we must strike the next blow at our Human oppressors and teach them their true place in the order of things.”

There was a knock at the door.

“Enter,” Adam called.

The door opened, to reveal a White Fang soldier in uniform. “A message for you, Adam, brought in by another courier.”

Adam held out his hand, wondering who the message was from. He doubted Sienna would send another messenger so soon after the first. Word from Menagerie? Had Blake turned up there as rumoured? He took the offered Scroll and began reading through the displayed message while the others began quietly conversing.

Adam threw the Scroll onto the table with a curse.

All eyes turned on Adam.

“What is it, Adam?” asked Gray.

“Word from Perry,” he gritted out. “Read it.”

Gray took the Scroll, while Rajah and Yuma leaned over his shoulder. They read the message in silence.

“What…? How is this… who did this?!” Rajah demanded, her claws protracting from her fingers.

“A lone female and capable combatant, ‘probably’ human,” Adam whispered to himself, his back to them. He turned around. “Everything we know is there. Perhaps Perry will find out more by the time we get there.”

“There?” asked Gray.

“Yes, there! We needed those soldiers; they were loyal and proven. And whoever did this may not stop there, seriously compromising our plans against Haven. So, we’re going to prepare, going to the city of Mistral, and then we’ll track this individual down and dispose of them. Hopefully before we have our little meeting with the High Leader.”

“Did you want me…?” Yuma began asking.

“I’ll need your services a little longer,” Adam replied. “Your talents will be of use. I’ll send a message to Fennec and Corsac some other way. We can look at removing the Belladonnas once I am installed as High Leader. This,” he gestured to the Scroll, “is more urgent.”

“Understood,” Yuma nodded.

Adam stalked from the room, confident his subordinates would know what to prepare. He would need to pack himself, fuelled by a determination to find this supposed interloper.

_A lone female, a capable combatant, though I never quite expected this of you. Then again, I supposed I may have left you with some additional motivation. And only ‘probably human’? Who do I know who has passed for human, who meets that description, who would go out of their way to seek and fight the Fang?_

He chuckled darkly to himself. _Oh Blake, if only I knew how keen you were to meet again. I’ll see you soon, my love._

####  _Evernight Castle, The Land of Darkness_

The last remains of the Beowolves evaporated.

Cinder paused to take several deep breaths. She’d been remorseless in training, anxious to be allowed to leave the castle and resume her date with destiny. She pushed herself hard so that she might take that which was hers.

But she’d had enough killing Grimm for a few minutes. She nodded at Emerald, who raised several fingers to a brow and concentrated.

Emerald’s semblance was a useful tool. The ability to create illusions had been a powerful aid in their plot to undermine Beacon. Turning it into a training instrument was perhaps a petty use of such power, but it provided a more interesting break from Grimm at least. And loyal Emerald was so eager to serve.

She wondered what illusion it’d be this time. She’d had Emerald produce illusions of the Silver-Eyed girl that maimed her, of others, even that boy. She _hated_ him. He was safely dead, had been no challenge, and yet he had denied her what was rightfully hers. It enraged her. Ozpin had been a serious threat, one that she’d only defeated by bringing his own vault down on top of him. But it was that boy that caused her to fail, simply by getting in her way, out of some simpering attachment to the ersatz Maiden!

Ah, but this was her favourite target. She grinned as the ersatz Maiden herself appeared before her. She was as she appeared that night, huddled over, _weak_. How Ozpin thought such a feeble vessel was worthy of the power of a Maiden was beyond her. This fragile reed that now all that stood between her and the first step of Cinder’s rightful destiny. All Cinder would have to do is reach out and pluck it. Once she’d been found. And once Cinder was allowed to leave this place.

She supposed it was possible Pyrrha Nikos would put up more of a fight when they met again. She had been a tournament champion, after all. But while she might appear strong in some sporting contest, outside of that safe and false environment she was nothing. She’d seen the champion’s true face that night. It wouldn’t take much to put her back on her knees. Pyrrha should thank her: Cinder would send her to rejoin her boy swiftly, and she’d be spared the responsibility of a power she was simply inadequate for. Only Cinder had the will, the strength, and the imagination to make proper use of that power. The power that belonged to her.

Looking at the illusion before her, broken and sobbing, Cinder wondered how to do it this time. Any method of killing her should do the trick: she felt within herself that the remaining power of the Fall Maiden, once freed from its current poor host, would seek to reunite with the half already within her. And yet she knew in this training that Salem wanted her to learn how to make full use of her _other_ arm. There would be other Maidens, after all.

She understood the logic. But she didn’t like thinking about her _other_ arm.

“You do feel it, don’t you?” Cinder turned; as if summoned by her thoughts Salem herself was there, gazing over her. “I told you before, Cinder, don’t fight it. It senses your fear. Make it dread you.”

Cinder turned back to the illusion before her. With an effort of will she stretched her _left_ arm forward. Her _new_ arm, her _Grimm_ arm stretched impossibly forwards, plunging its talons into the ersatz Maiden. Cinder smiled, imagining doing the same to the real thing. The illusion screamed and then vanished, and Cinder brought her arm back. It retracted back to its proper length, concealed within her long sleeve.

“Congratulations, Cinder. You have made progress in your recovery. But you are not ready yet. Still, Tyrian has some interesting news about the silver-eyed girl and her friends. Would you like to hear it?”

Cinder nodded.

“Then _ask_ for it.”

Cinder gestured and Emerald came running over.

“ _No_.” Salem glared at Emerald, who stopped and shrank before her. “Not _you_. Cinder must ask with her own voice.” She turned back towards Cinder. “If you are truly the woman you told me you were, if you truly want power, if you did not lie to me, then ask for it. Show me how badly you want it.”

Cinder opened her mouth, but at first nothing but rasps came forth. She felt frustration welling up within her. Was she to be held back, refused her destiny because of some damaged and unused vocal cords? She coughed. _NO!_ She would not be denied. She would be strong, she would be powerful, her destiny – her fate – would be fulfilled!

In a hoarse voice she spoke. “Yes… I want to hear it!” she spat out.

Salem smiled. “Well _done_ , Cinder. I’m glad to see that you’re still worthy of a place among us. Tyrian reports that he’s tracked the silver-eyed girl and some of her friends to a village called Higanbana, in the kingdom of Mistral. I’ve directed him to follow them and capture the girl, to bring her here.”

 _Why not just kill the brat?_ Cinder fumed, although she restrained herself in the presence of her mistress. Another question burned in her mind.

She made another rasping noise, before her words took form. “And what… of the … fal… false maiden?” she asked roughly.

“She’s not with them,” Salem replied. “We still have no news of her. Rest assured, dear Cinder, when we find her, I will let you know. And when you’re ready, you will have ample opportunity to make up for past mistakes and obtain what we both want.” Salem turned. “I shall leave you to your training,” she said as she began silently walking towards the doorway.

Cinder turned back to Emerald, nodding once more. Her course may have been delayed, but it could not be stopped. Not by foolish boys nor by little girls, and certainly not by any pretenders. She _was_ the Fall Maiden. It was her destiny.

####  _A Restaurant in Lower Mistral_

“That’s far enough!” Miss Malachite – Lil’ Miss Malachite as she was known – gestured for the intruder to stop. Two bodyguards stepped up, blocking the girl’s way to her table.

The girl raised her hands, appearing to be unarmed. “I’m here for business,” the girl said.

Lil’ Miss Malachite gazed at her for a moment, then gestured to the bench opposite. The girl took it. Her clothes didn’t stand out, but were clearly new and of good quality. Her short hair was jet-black, possibly dyed. Combined with the sunglasses, she was clearly trying to hide her identity. Some young, rich kid, wanting to dabble beyond the law, perhaps. She was carrying a large holdall, which she dropped on the bench beside her.

“Are you Miss Malachite?” she asked in quite a gentle, rich voice. Despite the gentleness, however, she asked without hesitation or any sign of fear.

“Most people call me Lil’ Miss. What do you want?”

“I hear you’ve been having problems with the White Fang.”

Lil’ Miss snapped her hand fan shut. “I don’t get involved in politics,” she snapped.

“No, but they do seem to get involved in… whatever it is you do,” the girl replied.

True enough. Like any illegal organization, the White Fang needed money and funds, and often had to acquire it in less than legal ways. Here in Mistral, some of their local cells had begun to compete with the underworld. It had begun to damage business, damage Lil’ Miss did not appreciate.

Still… “And what’s that to you?” she asked.

“I don’t care for what you do,” the girl replied. “But I care about the White Fang more. I want information on them: for instance, the locations of known safehouses and hideouts.”

“And what do I get out of this?”

“I remove them.”

Lil’ Miss laughed, a sound that came out more as a cackle.

“You’ve got guts, sweetheart, I’ll tell you that. But why do you care so much?”

“My reasons are my own,” the girl said tersely.

“Now see, that isn’t quite good enough. We’ve had issues with the Fang, I won’t deny it. It hurts business. But they’re containable ones. That might change if they knew I was sendin’ people after them. People like young rich kids with a death wish, who are just goin’ to get themselves killed and lead the Fang back to me, understand?”

“May I?” the girl gestured to the bag.

“It’s not simply a matter of money,” said Lil’ Miss.

“This isn’t money,” replied the girl. “It’s my résumé.” She placed the bag between them.

Lil’ Miss began unzipping the bag, only to stop. The bag was full of White Fang masks, some broken and shattered… and some smeared with blood. She zipped the bag closed again.

She looked upon the girl with fresh eyes and took a breath. “Okay, you can deliver. Where do you want to start?”


	10. Chapter Nine: A Maiden's Name

####  _A Safehouse in Mistral_

“Perry’s here,”

“Good.” Adam Taurus looked up. “Show him in.”

Gray opened the door as Rajah continued briefing Adam. They were huddled in a small apartment in Lower Mistral that served as one of the Fang’s safehouses.

“The High Leader has agreed to the suggested meeting time,” Rajah said, passing over a Scroll. “She understands the situation in Mistral needs attention: apparently local cells have been attacked too.”

“Is this true?” Adam asked, his eyes flicking to the newly entered Perry.

“Yes,” Perry replied. “Adam, I…”

“Just give it to us from the top,” Adam ordered, setting the Scroll aside.

“After I sent word of attack, four more cells – local ones this time – have been attacked this past week. In each case, anyone who stood their ground was killed. The attacks have caught police attention now too; they’ve begun moving in on most of the sites shortly after they hear of fighting. They think it’s gang warfare, the local crime lords retaliating against the local cells moving in on their turf.”

“Is it?” asked Rajah. “Because two can play at that game…”

“No,” Perry interrupted. “The few eye-witnesses who got away report the same thing the Lieutenant did: a single, very powerful, attacker.”

“Female and human?” asked Gray for confirmation.

“Female and _possibly_ human,” stressed Perry. “No one’s gotten a good enough look to be sure of the latter.”

“Who else could it be but a human?” demanded Gray.

“I can think of _someone_ ,” said Adam softly.

Yuma caught on first. “Are you sure, Adam? I thought the defector was headed for Menagerie. And is she powerful enough to do this?”

“Sure, no,” Adam admitted. “And Blake’s certainly exceeding my expectations if she’s the one behind this. But she was always competent and clever, and certainly motivated against the Fang. We were never sure she’d head to Menagerie; it just seemed the likeliest option. And she’s spent time living among the humans, posing as one. Perhaps she even imagines herself one, now, forgetting that they will always remind us of who we are.” His fists clenched at the last.

“So it could be one of our own?” asked Gray. “Killing so many of our brothers?”

“The killing is new; she’d always hesitated before.” Adam said. “Doing so after betraying us for human lives is a new level of hypocrisy. But I’ve come to expect little else from the Belladonnas. They have long hindered our cause: this is simply the final step in their treason.”

“So what now?” asked Rajah. “Whether it’s Blake Belladonna or not, we need to track them down.”

“Perry,” Adam said, “you said the police had begun investigating the sites of the attacks. But what of the original warehouse?”

“They don’t know about it. I’ve had someone keeping an eye on the Shiroi Logistics building since soon after the attack. They’ve not checked inside – we wanted to wait for you on that – but no one has been in or out.”

“We’ll check it out tonight,” Adam said firmly. “We’d need to see to our brothers anyway, but it should provide us our first clues as to who – and where – our enemy is.” _And once I’ve dealt with you, my darling Blake, I can get back to the matter of the High Leader and delivering the justice humanity deserves. Without your hindrance._

####  _A Room in Mistral_

Pyrrha had always been diligent in her homework.

While she’d been spending nights keeping watch over the Shiroi Logistics Warehouse, and the occasional dusk and dawn raiding White Fang hideouts, she’d also spent her time on this cheap burner scroll researching as much as she could about her current objective. Adam Taurus was a notorious figure, albeit one about whom much was unknown. There was little but rumour about his background. His ideology was better known and commented on, but there was mostly speculation when it came to his location and resources, especially after the attack on Vale.

However, Pyrrha’s interest focused on one other key area.

How he fought.

That, unfortunately, was not an area news sources had much to offer on. As for actual accounts of combat against him, there were little more than a few short grainy videos. Pyrrha poured over what little footage she could find, deploying the keen eye of a tournament fighter used to dissecting footage of her opponents’ fights. She worked with what she had, but there was precious little to go on. Known details were few. He was a strong and capable fighter, but she knew that already. He was also the one to cut off Yang’s arm, or so she’d heard. A deadly swordsman then, at least with that blade of his.

That, at least, was a problem Pyrrha intended to do something about.

Making little progress, she turned to wider news. There were further reports of gang fighting, with the discovery of another bloody attack on a White Fang hideout, with no sign of the attackers. It was bleakly amusing what the Mistral police made of her handiwork. She’d wanted to break from the shackles of her fame, but never thought it’d come like this. She was still somehow in the public eye, but now cloaked under a veil of anonymity. What would her fans make of this?

She doubted she’d enjoy the answer. She’d seen some of the comments on her fight with Penny. The ones she could bear to read.

 _This is for Penny, as much as it for Jaune_ , Pyrrha told herself. _They used my hands, but they killed her too._ And that was true, but those comments hurt nonetheless. After all, they only repeated what was already in her heart.

She stilled herself. It seemed the police blamed the attacks on an escalating war between the local crime syndicates and the Fang. Some of the White Fang appeared to believe them: there’d been some fighting Pyrrha knew she’d been nowhere near. Lil’ Miss Malachite probably wouldn’t be too pleased, but Pyrrha was unconcerned; she’d done everything she said she would and was hardly overconcerned for the crime lord’s ‘business’. Besides, with the cells Pyrrha had destroyed, the White Fang were on the back foot and Malachite’s associates were having much the better of it.

She turned to other news. Anything could potentially bear on her current fight with the White Fang or the broader question of Cinder’s plans for Haven. Much was irrelevant, but she’d learned to skim through the dross in search of useful intelligence. Some news about the Mistral council here, some business news there. It seemed Atlas was closing its borders, yet more of its retreat into itself following the fall of Beacon. She supposed that left her hometown of Argus as one of the few remaining points of contact.

More news, good this time. Some huntsmen had managed to evacuate a small village in the face of a bandit attack and saved the villagers from Grimm. These ‘heroes of Shion’ were heroes indeed in these dark times. She opened the article, anxious for a little light.

She gasped, dropping the Scroll on the floor.

She sat stunned, before forcing herself to pick it up once more, to look upon the picture of these otherwise unknown huntsmen, newly arrived in Mistral. There, plain to her eyes, were her friends. _Nora… Ren… Ruby…_ Qrow was there too, no friend of hers, although she supposed as a keeper he hadn’t been a bad sort.

Why were they here? Qrow had mentioned Haven to Ruby – that very fact had propelled her here – had he come here, dragging her team into his investigation? She felt a surge of resentment before it dropped away. No, that wouldn’t be the full story. Ruby would do the heroic thing of her own volition, and from all she saw he cared for his niece at least. She was as likely to drag him into danger as the other way around.

What then of Ren and Nora? She doubted she could blame Qrow for that, either. No one could push Nora into anything she didn’t want to do, and Ren was surprisingly strong-willed behind that impassive exterior (doubtless due to dealing with Nora). What would persuade them to join Qrow and Ruby? They’d care for Ruby, but Qrow hadn’t told them about Haven, suggesting he didn’t want them to have any part in it. Ozpin’s circle had doubtless wanted to keep Pyrrha under lock and key, but did they have any plans for Ren and Nora? They’d kept them with her, at least at first, and she was sure the couple wouldn’t have wanted it any other way…

They’d come for her, Pyrrha realised.

They knew she was here. Or suspected at least. And they had come looking for her. Ruby had done likewise, never one to abandon a friend. Qrow, well perhaps he was simply doing his job and protecting his niece. But she was glad he was with them, for their sake, considering what they’d apparently braved. They really were heroes.

She felt a storm of mixed feelings. Her heart went out to them, at this sign of love and loyalty. She was proud of them. She longed to reach out to them. But she dared not. She couldn’t risk it. She couldn’t risk endangering them. Nor could she risk them trying to stop her. Either way, she had to move even more carefully now. Hopefully Haven Academy would be safe enough for them.

####  _Haven Academy, Mistral_

Haven Academy was completely empty; neither students nor staff occupied its halls.

“No, this isn’t right. Come on!” Qrow said. Where was everyone? He’d spoken to Lionheart just earlier today via Scroll. Salem’s forces can’t have struck this quickly!

He moved forwards, hurry ahead through the corridor.

“Wait for us!” Ruby cried as the kids followed.

They reached the pair of wooden doors that led to the headmaster’s office. Qrow drew Harbinger in its sword mode.

“Get ready,” he said. “There could be trouble.”

The others readied their weapons, as he prepared to kick the door open.

The doors were pulled open, revealing an older man, with a mane of grey hair and a thick beard. His eyes widened in alarm. Arms flailing, he yelped in panic as he fell to the floor.

“Er… Professor Lionheart?” guessed Ruby.

“Qrow!” the man said, pulling himself up. “For crying out loud, you almost scared me to death!”

“Me?!” Qrow growled. “Why weren’t you waiting for us by the entrance?”

“Huh?” Professor Lionheart looked up in confusion and pulled out a small pocket watch. “Oh right! Apologies, I guess time must have slipped away from me.”

“You’re joking,” Qrow said impatiently. He sheathed his blade as Lionheart stood and the others put their weapons away.

“Where _is_ everybody?” asked Nora.

“Ah, you must be the students Qrow mentioned,” Lionheart said.

“Yes sir,” Ruby waved in a vague salute. “Ruby Rose.”

“Nora Valkyrie!”

“Lie Ren.”

“A pleasure to meet you all,” the headmaster chuckled. “Leonardo Lionheart, at your service.” He bowed. “I’m afraid most of my staff is currently away until classes resume, but…”

“What?!” Qrow demanded, clenching his fists. Lionheart cringed in response. “Leo, you can’t be serious! Who’s guarding the Relic?”

Lionheart stood for a moment dumbstruck and looked away, before looking back. “Qrow! The Children!”

“Already know! I filled them in,” Qrow said, gesturing at the team. “What do you mean your staff is away?”

Lionheart gasped. “You… filled them in?”

“I had to!” Qrow said. “Hell, they’ve already met one Maiden! More than one, depending on how you count it I guess.”

“Met a Maiden?” Lionheart said, seemingly in a daze, before his senses reasserted themselves. “What? Where?”

“The Spring Maiden for one. We met her in Shion.”

“The village you fought the bandits at? What’s her condition? Where is she now?” Lionheart asked urgently.

“We’ll get to that, Leo. But what’s going on here? Why is the Relic unguarded? Why didn’t you check in with Oz?” Qrow demanded.

“There was _nothing_ to check in _about_ before the fall of Beacon,” Lionheart said with force. He turned and walked behind his desk, seating himself. “But since that day Mistral has been in chaos!” He slumped backward into his chair, arms resting on the desk before him. “Vale wasn’t the only kingdom to suffer that night. Everyone was watching. Every house in every kingdom saw that poor girl ripped to pieces, saw monsters crawling over the city, Atlesian Knights attacking citizens… and then nothing. You could feel the dread in the air. With all the negativity, you can imagine what is what like when the Grimm came for us.”

The headmaster stood once more, too anxious to sit. He turned and walked to the window behind him. “Mistral’s territory is the widest reaching in the world, you know,” he said, looking out, “and that makes it infinitely harder to protect. We lost so many great huntsmen, teachers from this very institution. And it’s only gotten worse.”

“We noticed,” said Qrow, thinking of Shion.

“I suppose you did,” said Lionheart, leaning on the windowsill. He turned. “Furthermore, the Mistral Council’s at odds with Atlas. First a Dust embargo, now this closure of borders, tensions are running high. And now we have a shooting war between criminals and White Fang in the very city itself!”

“All the more reason we need Huntsmen and Huntresses here!” Qrow said, raising his voice.

“Okay, _okay_ , things are bad!” Ruby said, hands raised. “But we can figure this out, right?”

“Perhaps,” Lionheart replied. He looked at Qrow. “You did say you met the Spring Maiden?”

“We did. But you’re not going to like it.”

“What do you mean?” said Lionheart, walking back around the desk and taking Qrow by the shoulders. “Where is she? Is she alive?”

“Oh, she’s alive alright. At Shion, she was one of the bandits.”

“A bandit?” Lionheart’s arms fell in shock.

“A member of the Branwen tribe.”

“Raven,” Lionheart breathed.

“That’s right,” Qrow nodded. He walked forward and placed his Scroll on the desk, syncing it. The holographic display built into the desk sprang into life, projecting a map of Remnant. The map zoomed in on one section.

“That’s where their main camp is set up, where they fall back to after their raids. Raven’s gained a lot of followers since she returned to the tribe, and I’m sure having a Maiden makes things even easier.”

“Well Qrow, I’ve got to hand it to you,” Lionheart said, patting Qrow’s back. He gestured at the map. “We’ve these coordinates, we can mount a retrieval force and head out in a few weeks.” He walked over to the desk and flicked a switch, activating a holographic keyboard.

“A few weeks?!”

Lionheart tapped away on the keys, copying the coordinates, before turning the display off. “That’s right,” he said, walking back behind the desk. “Unless you think we can negotiate?”

“I doubt it,” Qrow admitted. “We crossed blades in Shion.”

“With your sister or the Maiden?”

“Both,” Qrow sighed. “The Maiden doesn’t seem the sort to cooperate, and I didn’t part with dear sis on the best of terms.

“Can’t we just leave them there?” asked Ruby. “No one can get to the vault without the Maiden, right?”

“We can’t leave her to attack more villages!” Nora said.

“Right,” Qrow said, leaning on Lionheart’s desk. “And in any case, sooner or later Salem’s going to find out they have her too. Which is why we need to move now!”

“And as I keep telling you, we _can’t_!” Lionheart replied. “This kingdom is in shambles. I have to convince the Council that we need huntsmen more than they do. Unfortunately, bandits aren’t very high on their list of priorities at the moment, what with the threat of war on the horizon, and fighting in our own damn city!”

“Then to the Grimm with the Council!” Qrow shot back. “We’ll do it ourselves. We’re both huntsmen, and these kids have already faced these bandits in combat!”

“Yeah!” Nora exclaimed.

“And you expect the five of us to take on an entire tribe, with your sister and a _hostile_ Maiden?” said Lionheart. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m not the fighter I used to be. We have to be absolutely positive we can apprehend Spring, because if we fail Raven and her tribe will scatter, and we will be lost. And even if we succeed, what do we do with her with just the five of us? How long can we restrain her? Are you suggesting that we…?” his voice trailed off.

Ruby’s face blanched. Qrow gritted his teeth.

“I hadn’t got that far,” he admitted.

“We need a plan, we need resources, and at the moment that takes time,” Lionheart insisted.

“You know Oz wouldn’t be happy with any of this if he were here,” Qrow said.

“Perhaps you’re right,” said Lionheart. “But he’s not. I’m doing the very best I can.”

“There has to be something we can do!” said Ruby.

“And what about Pyrrha?” Nora asked.

“Pyrrha… Nikos?” asked Lionheart. “The champion? The one who killed that robot girl?”

“It wasn’t her fault!” Ruby said, tears in her eyes. “Pyrrha never meant to do that! It’s Emerald’s fault that Penny is dead!”

“Be that as it may,” Lionheart replied, “what does Miss Nikos have to do with this?”

“We think she’s here!” Nora replied. “We’re looking for her.”

“Well, I’ll do all I can for an errant student, but as said I have limited resources,” Lionheart gestured at the school around him. “But with her fame I can’t imagine she’ll remain hidden for long.”

Ruby and Nora glanced at Qrow. Qrow looked at Ren, to see him gazing evenly back. Qrow bit his lip in a moment of uncertainty before making a decision. After all, there wasn’t much that Lionheart didn’t know already, and Ozpin trusted him.

“We think she’s here incognito,” he said. “And she’s no ordinary student. Oz chose her as his ‘guardian’.”

“’Guardian’? You mean she…?”

“She has _half_ of the Fall Maiden’s power. The other half is still with the one who stole them. Who apparently came from your school, along with the rest of her team of terrorists,” Qrow said, unable to resist the last dig.

“We went through their records after the fall of Beacon. We had no way of knowing they were forgeries!” Lionheart replied. “As for Miss Nikos, why is she in hiding? Why is she…”

Qrow interrupted. “The enemy know who she is.”

“That’s… very concerning,” Lionheart said.

“Tell me about it,” said Qrow. “Which means we have to move carefully. We can’t let any hint that we’re looking for her here get out.”

“Understood,” said Lionheart. “I’ll be very careful about that.”

Qrow sighed in frustration. “I wish this had been a more productive reunion, Leo.”

“I’m sorry,” Lionheart said apologetically. “I know you’ve all travelled a long way. But I will do everything I can to help. You’ll stay in the city, I trust?”

“Sure. We’ll be looking for Nikos. Keep in touch about Spring. I see local comms are still up,” he said, waving his Scroll. He turned around and made to leave. “Come on, kids.”

Ren, Nora and Ruby filed out after him, Ruby turning on the threshold.

“It was nice meeting you, Professor.”

“Likewise,” Lionheart said softly.

After the party left and the door closed, Lionheart sank back down in his chair and placed his head into his hands. A few moments more, and the display flickered back to life, projecting a holographic W. Arthur Watt’s well-mannered voice emerged.

“Oh, Leo, we have got to work on your improvisational skills. Still, full marks for results.”

####  _Shiroi Logistics Warehouse, Lower Mistral_

The truck rolled to a stop.

Adam Taurus leapt from the back, accompanied by Gray, Yuma and a couple of White Fang soldiers. Perry and Rajah joined them from the cabin. Adam looked at the shrouded bulk of the warehouse in front of them.

“Looks quiet,” Rajah said, her normally loud voice a whisper.

Adam nodded. He saw a flurry of activity out of the corner of his eye as the soldiers brought their rifles to bear, but Perry signalled for them to hold their fire. Another Faunus appeared from the entrance to the grounds and spoke to Perry in a murmur. Perry nodded and walked over to Adam.

“Same as before: no one’s been in or out,” Perry said.

“Then we’d better take a look. Gray, take the door,” he ordered. He gestured at the small door beside the shutter doors. “Rajah, cover from here. Yuma, the wall.”

Gray took one of the soldiers and ran to the door. Adam and Perry moved into cover alongside the shutter doors, while Yuma and another soldier flanked Gray on the other side. Rajah and the last of the White Fang remained behind the truck.

Gray raised his hand, fingers spread. A human may have had trouble seeing the hand in the dim light, but Adam’s keen eyes could see each finger distinctly. Gray began counting down, dropping each finger in turn. After the last finger, he yanked the door open. The White Fang with him twisted into the doorway and plunged inside. Gray followed him.

A moment, and then another, and then Gray’s voice crackled over the radio.

“All clear. It stinks in here Adam.”

“Yuma,” Adam spoke, and the pair opposite to them moved to the door and darted inside. Adam gave it a few more seconds, then signalled for Perry to follow him. “Rajah, follow us in.”

Adam moved towards the doorway, Perry behind him. He was in the doorway for a fraction of a second and then ducked alongside the shutter doors on the inside.

He was immediately assaulted by the _smell_.

There were bodies all around, he could tell. It would be offensive even to the dull senses of a human, but to the keen nose of a Faunus it was repellent. He could hear Perry beside him gagging at the stench.

The interior of the warehouse was near completely dark, even to their eyes. Without windows, little light from the moon or any other source made it into the darkened room, save by the door they’d entered by and faintly through the doorway on the walkway above.

“Gray, get the lights on,” Adam ordered. He heard Gray grunt in affirmation as he felt Rajah’s entrance. He moved along the shutter doors, making his way around the outside of the room.

The lights flickered on.

“By the…” Perry whispered, while one of the soldiers let out a curse. There were bodies strewn across the warehouse. The interior crane had somehow come down, crushing White Fang and a number of crates of arms. Other bodies lay where they had fallen, weapons and spent casing indicating they’d been in combat.

Yuma pushed over one of the bodies with his boot. “Bodies are bloating, on verge of further decomposition. They’ve been here for at least a week.” Adam nodded. The timing was consistent with the original attack.

“I can’t see the Lieutenant,” Perry said, looking around.

“He may be elsewhere,” Adam said, recalling the warehouse’s layout. “Yuma, take the walkway and check the offices on the second floor. Rajah, take the stairs and the mezzanine and work your way up. Perry, with me. Gray, see what else you can make of this.” He waved his arm about him. “Let’s find what we can that will shed light on our enemy.”

He turned and made his way towards the staff rooms he knew had been repurposed as a barracks, Perry falling in alongside him. Despite his words, he was more convinced than ever as to the identity of their mystery assailant. And yet a niggling doubt remained. _When had she become this strong?_

Pyrrha had seen the lorry arrive from the roof of a nearby Warehouse. She watched patiently as she saw Adam disembark, and held herself back as they made their way inside.

She sprang into action.

She dropped off the roof, using her semblance to soften her descent. She crossed the chain link fence and circled around the side and then back of the warehouse, towards the offices by which she’d made her original entrance. The first guard she’d killed had closed that window, but that was little barrier. Looking up towards the second floor, she used her semblance, reaching out and manipulating the metal lock and handle, before pulling the window open. She again used her semblance on her own armour, propelling her up and through the window.

She crouched in the darkness, all senses peeled – bar that of smell – for any hint of her enemy. After a moment of silence, she stole forward quietly, past the body she’d left on her first visit and between the filing cabinets on either side. The room was dimly lit through the window, as were the offices through the doorway at the end on the right. She stopped before she turned the corner and froze, anxious not to give any hint of her presence. She strained her ears for any sound. She remained stationary, cloaked by the still darkness, waiting, barely daring to breathe.

In time, she heard the soft padding of footsteps approaching, quiet but unsuspecting of any other presence. She knew that in a night fight the White Fang would have an advantage. Faunus senses, particularly their night vision, were superior to that of a human, as General Lagune had learned to his cost. She’d lose if she fought ‘fair’.

But then she didn’t plan to fight fair.

 _Turn your opponent’s strength into a weakness_. That was a lesson she’d learned on the tournament circuit, now turned to more lethal intent. She brought her hand down to the equipment she’d strapped to her waist, past the flares she carried.

The footsteps were now in the neighbouring office and stopped. Doubtless looking around the room.

She closed her hand on her chosen tool, readied her aura to protect her own ears, took hold of one of the flashbangs and threw it into the next room.

There’s been no bodies in most of the ‘barracks’. Yuma had radioed to report the occasional body in the upper offices, but clearly most here had fought and died in the main part of the warehouse itself. Adam had made his way through the staff rooms nonetheless, before he reached the room at the end. There he and Perry found the body of the Lieutenant, a gunshot wound to his head.

“There’s no sign of his Scroll,” Perry said, peering around the room.

“There wouldn’t be,” replied Adam, gaze locked onto the body. He gave his old comrade a nod and stood.

“Gunshot wounds, and some of the bodies back there had injuries from a blade. I suspect a mecha-shift weapon,” he said.

“A huntress?” Perry asked.

Adam nodded. “It’d be logical, though they’re not the only ones to carry such,” he said, tapping Wilt’s hilt.

A loud bang echoed from elsewhere in the building.

“What was that?” he demanded over the radio.

“A loud bang from the floor above us,” Rajah replied. “We’re going up.”

“Moving to assist,” said Gray.

“Yuma?” Adam asked. “Yuma?” There was no reply.

“With me!” he ordered Perry, and charged back through the makeshift dormitories. He could hear gunfire now and scattered cries, punctuated by further loud bangs. He dashed past the bunks. “Back off if you need to!” he yelled into the radio, to little response.

He entered the main warehouse with Perry on his heels. He heard gunfire above and looked up to see Gray retreating along the walkway, firing blindly at the doorway. A rifle fired back, several shots hitting him. His aura sparked, before an object shot out, hitting his head and knocking him off.

Gray tumbled, hitting the floor with a loud thud. And then all was quiet.

Adam drew Wilt, keeping a hand on Blush, while Perry fanned out to his side, his submachine gun ready.

“Blake?” Adam called out in a loud voice. “I know it’s you. You might as well show yourself.”

An armoured figure strode out onto the walkway, clad in black and bronze and red, carrying a shield and a rifle. “Blake?” she asked, audibly confused.

Adam was equally taken aback. “You’re… you’re not Blake!” He’d been so sure.

“No, I’m _not_.” She raised her rifle and fired several shots. Adam caught them with Wilt, absorbing the energy, while Perry opened fire. _Just some vengeance seeking human after all_ , Adam thought. _Time to put her down like the rest of her kind!_ Let her take her shots, and then he’d turn her own energy back on her with his semblance, Moonslice, projecting it back at her through his sword. She’d fall, like so many others had done before.

Then she raised her hand, and the door leading outside slammed shut, buckling under the force. She gestured again, and suddenly he felt Wilt be yanked from his hand…

Pyrrha used polarity to disarm her target and the remaining soldier, tossing their weapons across the warehouse. She leapt onto the walkway railing and pushed off, using her own strength and her semblance to propel herself towards Adam, switching Miló into its javelin mode. Adam brought his scabbard up, shifting it into a gun as she hurled herself towards him. He fired twice but she caught both shots on her shield Akoúo. She landed and rolled forward, thrusting Miló out.

Adam twisted out of the way, avoiding the javelin, and brought his gun back to bear. She caught its side with Akoúo and with a sharp jolt of her semblance sent it flying out of his hands. Adam was pulled back and with a kick she sent him tumbling.

Adam rolled and came to his feet once more, and with a roar launched himself forward, using his left arm to shove Miló aside and bringing his right fist forward past her shield. She took the hit on her torso, before bringing her shield up hard against his face, shoving back.

She saw the other White Fang soldier run for a gun, and with only a glance aside she sent Akoúo flying into him, knocking him over. She pulled it back with her semblance just in time to meet another charge with Adam. It was a feint, however, Adam lunging forward before ducking and rolling to his left. He ran towards one of the bodies and threw himself towards it, hand outstretched for the blade lying beside it. With a flick of her wrist she sent it skidding as she leapt after him. She brought Miló down and forwards, striking into Adam’s back, stabbing into his aura. He twisted round and kicked sidewise into her leg. She was pushed off-balance and forced into a roll, coming to her feet the same time he did.

They glared at each other. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and twisted as the other White Fang soldier swung at her with a club. She caught it on her shield and shoved it aside, before punching him with the hand holding Miló. He stumbled back and she brought Akoúo back in and bashed him against him repeatedly. As he flailed Pyrrha thrust forwards with Miló, stabbing home, and twisted it, to a scream by the soldier. She then switched Miló to its xiphos mode and cut it free with a sideways tug. The soldier dropped for the last time.

“You’ll pay for Perry, human,” Adam said. He raised another sword he’d claimed from one of the dead. “And the others. You and the rest of humanity will suffer for what you’ve done!”

“What _I’ve_ done?” Pyrrha spat, pushing aside any uncomfortable echoes. “I wasn’t the one killing innocents at Beacon!”

“There are no innocents,” Adam growled.

“That… that is where we differ,” Pyrrha said, seizing on the feeling of relief. She focused on his form before leaping forward to attack. She tried to wench the weapon from his hand with her semblance, but he kept firm hold upon the hilt. Yet she was still able to push the blade aside, bringing her own sword down in an arc down across his torso. With a backswing she struck again, and punched forwards with Akoúo, sending Adam sprawling.

She lunged again but he kicked back, before rolling onto his knees. He blocked the next blow with his borrowed sword, and then sprang upon his feet and launched a furious counterattack. Pyrrha was forced back as she parried and blocked the flurry of blows. He swung at her neck and she bent back out of the way, but then used her semblance to push the blade so he spun out of control. She kicked out into his side, sending him to his knees, and brought Miló down onto his Grimm mask, buckling it. He swung his sword at her legs, and she had to somersault back to avoid the blow. He took advantage of the space gained and stood once again, ripping the damaged mask off his face.

“Do you see this!” he shouted, pointing to the letters SDC branded on his face. “This is what your people have…”

He was cut off as Akoúo flew into his face with a crunch, before snapping back to Pyrrha’s arm. She cared little for his story or his face. The only face she saw in her enemies was that of a cruel, dark-haired woman with amber eyes. She surged forwards to attack, striking out with Miló. He took several blows before he was able to block with his blade, wrestling it into position. He blocked several more attacks with blinding speed, before twisting into a kick and sending Pyrrha back. Despite the gap he swung with his blade once more and it carved a reddish arc through the air just as she tried to pull the sword aside with her semblance.

Pyrrha was taken by surprise by the red energy blast that was emitted by the sword as he completed his swing, but her attempt to disarm him had luckily sent the blast flying upwards into the walkway. The blast scythed through one end, causing the walkway to collapse downwards and swing down with a crash. Adam pounced forward to attack but Pyrrha met him with a shield bash, before twisting into a slash from Miló. She followed the stroke with a lunge, switching Miló into javelin and stabbing out. Time to end this quickly. Adam attempted to block but was forced to grapple with the sword as Pyrrha’s semblance sought to twist it from his hand, leaving him open to Pyrrha’s blows. He struggled to hold onto the sword as he was struck again and again but was forced to let go as Pyrrha smashed Akoúo against his head. The sword was flung upwards, bouncing off the ceiling.

Adam threw himself back from Pyrrha’s attacks, and then ducked under them with another feint as he ran. He could see Wilt now and sprinted towards it. He dove, bringing himself into a roll, picking up Wilt and bringing it into position as he came to his feet. Only to be met with flame.

The flame changed everything.

Adam had been surprised at this human. She _was_ powerful; skilled in combat and gifted with a semblance that let her manipulate his own weapons. This hamstrung him, let her outfight him, but he was strong. With his semblance he was confident he still had a chance at ending her.

But the flame betokened something else. A power he’d only seen in one other before, and which he’d learned to his cost – counted in the lives of his men – the price of opposing.

 _She_ was another one. Another like _Cinder_.

Wilt did not block the flames, did not absorb their power. He weathered the attack with what remained of his aura, but she took the opportunity to snatch his weapon once more and cast it across the room. It bounced off the shutter doors and dropped to the floor.

She placed her shield and javelin on her back and stalked towards him, one eye wreathed in red flame.

“ _What_ are you?” he asked.

“I think you know what I am, Adam,” she said. “I see it in your face. You’ve seen someone like me before. I am the Fall Maiden.”

Adam glanced around. There were plenty of weapons around, if he could run for one. But could he hold onto one long enough, even if he could take any more hits? He began looking for an alternative. One didn’t lead a guerrilla army without knowing when to retreat.

“What do you want? Vengeance for Beacon?”

“Yes,” she replied. “But not from you. Not entirely, anyway. After all, you were simply a _lackey_ , a _minion_ , serving the will of others.”

“The White Fang serves no one,” he said, continuing to look for a way out. “We fight for our own cause.”

She laughed, a strangely musical laugh for all its coldness.

“You don’t get it, _Adam_ ,” she said, her voice laced with anger. “This wasn’t another fight for your misbegotten cause. Not a chance for glory, or even infamy. This wasn’t a _fight_ at all. It’s an _interrogation_.” The fire in her eye blazed stronger, joined by fire in her hands.

“And you're very wrong about a great many things. You certainly served someone at Beacon. Have you forgotten the name of your mistress? The one whose _tool_ you were? Don’t you remember the name of _Cinder Fall_? I want to know where she is. _She’s_ the one I want.”

He was right. Anger coursed through his veins, anger at this woman, anger at her jibes. Anger at Cinder too, for her ultimatum, for using them and dragging them into whatever this was. With an effort of will, he fought his rage down, knowing survival was in the balance.

Rajah stumbled into the room from the stairway, injured but moving. Adam kept his eyes from her, glued them to the woman in front of him to prevent her from realising Rajah was behind her. He flexed his hands, a seemingly natural movement save for those who knew how to read the signs.

“If I tell you, will you let me live?” he asked, to keep this ‘Fall Maiden’ talking. _Read the signs, Rajah_.

“No,” she replied. “But I’ll make it _quick_.”

Rajah had found and picked up Blush and had made her way beside the shutter doors.

“And if I don’t know?” he asked. In truth he didn’t know Cinder’s current location.

“Stop stalling, this isn’t a _negotiation_ either,” she said. “You must have some means of contacting her or her associates.”

He did. But he had no intention of giving it. “Now, Rajah!” he yelled.

Rajah hit the switch on the shutter doors, and they burst into life. They began rolling upwards as Rajah opened fire with Blush, distracting the ‘Fall Maiden’. Adam leapt forwards, moving as if to grasp another weapon, but ducked out of the way as the ‘Fall Maiden’ sent a gout of flame to intercept him. She’d missed his true objective, as he sprinted towards the shutter doors, falling and sliding so as to pick up Wilt. Rajah ducked under the doors herself as Adam skidded under, tumbling as he hit the rough concrete outside. He could hear the ‘Maiden’ pursuing them.

He forced himself up, grabbing Rajah by the arm. “Go!” he ordered. They ran, ducking behind the truck outside to block line of sight. They continued to move, as he pulled out his scroll and sent a signal calling for reinforcements. They could recover the truck later; the important thing was to get away now.

They’d left the site behind when it became clear that, whoever she was, the ‘Fall Maiden’ had broken off the pursuit.

“Who was she?” asked Rajah, clearly suffering from the exertion and whatever injuries she’d suffered earlier. She passed Blush back to Adam, who shifted it back into a scabbard and sheathed Wilt in it once more.

“An enemy of some allies of ours, ones we worked with in Vale,” Adam said.

“And what are we going to do about her?” Rajah asked. “Gray’s dead, Yuma… how do we stop her?”

Adam knew exactly who he was going to contact. Someone who had both the power, and more importantly the responsibility to clear up their own mess. The ‘Maiden’ wanted Cinder Fall? She could have her.

He turned to Rajah, placing his arm under her shoulder to support her as they continued walking. “We can’t deal with her, but I know someone who can. I’m going to send a witch to catch a witch,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author note: A confrontation with Adam, en route to Cinder, was in the cards from the very early stages of planning this story. However, it was only when I started working through the details that I realised how one-sided this matchup could potentially turn out to be for Adam, whose otherwise extremely powerful semblance is dependent upon his weapon, and is particularly vulnerable to being negated by a Pyrrha who’s become accustomed to being aggressive with her semblance. This is aggravated by the fact that here Pyrrha knows something about who she’s going up against, whereas Adam decidedly does not.
> 
> There’s some speculation that Wilt is composed of either fire dust or fire-dust infused metal – the former I consider extremely unlikely in any pure form (wouldn’t it just blow up? Ruby could get the stuff to detonate just by sneezing on it), but even then, Wilt’s hilt will be metal. In the latter case, it’s still metal.
> 
> There are others who would be particularly vulnerable to Pyrrha (Penny, obviously, and I can’t see any way Ironwood, being mostly metal, having much chance of winning a hypothetical 1-on-1 fight either), but others she’d have trouble against in turn. Tyrian, funnily, is much more dangerous to her before he got the robo-tail, where it’s the opposite for most people (though Tyrian is always dangerous). Perhaps appropriately, one of Pyrrha's worst matchups as I figure it would be someone who doesn’t use metal weapons at all, such as one lady called Cinder Fall...


	11. Chapter Ten: A Maiden's Footprints

####  _Mid-Level Markets, Mistral_

“So, what do we do now?” Nora asked in frustration.

“I don’t know, kid,” Qrow said. “I was hoping Leo would be more helpful.” He looked upwards, towards the two peaks Haven Academy was perched on. “He’s acting odd, but there’s little we can do until we get more Huntsmen. Perhaps you three should head back…”

“No,” Nora declared. He looked and saw a defiant expression on her face. Ren was silent beside her but if anything seemed even more implacable. Ruby’s eyes danced between her friends and her uncle, as if a little unsure as to the argument.

“You heard him,” Qrow said. “He has to talk to the council and…”

“I’m not talking about that,” Nora interrupted again. “I’m talking about looking for our _friend_. And Lionheart doesn’t look like he’d be any help in that. You heard what he said about her!”

“You have to understand, kid, most people here don’t have the inside track you have. They only saw what was broadcast on the CCT.”

“What Cinder wanted them to see,” Ruby said forlornly. Qrow placed a comforting hand on his niece’s shoulder. Ruby had been Penny’s friend after all, possibly her closest friend; she’d known of Penny’s artificial nature long before the world did but had always seen her as a very real girl.

One friend tricked into killing another friend. That had to shake anyone inside, and yet Ruby was still determined to do right by Nikos as well. Qrow felt sorrow for his niece’s pain but was in awe of her good nature.

“I don’t care,” Nora said stubbornly. “She needs our help, and she’s not going to get it if we all go back and sit around a house.”

“We didn’t come all this way to do nothing,” Ren insisted.

Qrow raised his hand in a placating gesture. “I get it, I do. I just don’t know what we can do. Mistral’s a big city, and she’ll hardly be going round publicly. Assuming she’s even here! We’re not going to get anywhere just wandering the streets. We can’t even call her name for fear of getting the wrong attention.”

“But we might as well start there, right?” said Ruby. “It may not be effective, but it’s not going to be any worse than lounging around inside. And maybe we’ll get a better idea as we do so?”

It wasn’t a bad idea, as much as he was tempted to send them back to their lodgings and head to the nearest bar. And at least it’d give the kids a feel for the city.

“Alright then,” he said. “We’ll begin with these markets.”

They’d wandered the stalls for some time, with the expected level of success. Ruby had enjoyed simply looking at the weaponry on sale, but Ren and Nora had kept their eye mostly on the crowd around them. Yet it was a fruitless task; there were so many people in just this small part of the city that they realised they could wander for days and not see Pyrrha even if she was walking around openly. Qrow had concentrated on the task of coming up with a better plan. If Nikos was in the city, and intent on not being found, how _could_ they find her without going to the authorities with her name?

“The prices here are not cheap,” Ren said idly.

“Huh?” Qrow said, caught in his musing. He focused on the conversation at hand. “They’re alright kid. But the mid-level markets still enjoy some rich customers from the upper levels. If you want really cheap goods, you have to go further down. Trouble is Mistral has a really seedy underbelly, and you’re a lot more likely to run into it the further down you go.”

“Is she likely to be down there?” asked Ruby.

“I expect so, at least some of the time, if she wants to stay under the radar. Wish we knew what her plan was, it’d make trying to find her a lot easier.”

Further conversation was interrupted by Nora. “I’m hungry!” she announced loudly. “We should get something to eat.”

Qrow sighed but realised it would be better to concede. Empty stomachs would hardly help their thought processes even if it felt like he was baby-sitting again. “Fine,” he said with a roll of his eyes.

They found a café they all found acceptable and were soon huddled around a table – Qrow and Ruby on one side, Ren and Nora on the other – eating their meals. They ate mostly in silence, but Nora began reading something on her Scroll.

“Watcha reading, Nora?” asked Ruby

“The news,” she replied.

Ren glanced sideways. “You don’t read the news, Nora,” he said.

“Sure I do!” she said brightly. “But in any case, Pyr-… _our friend_ is famous, right? People sometimes write about celebrities they’ve seen.”

Ren leaned over her shoulder to look at the display of the electronic device. “I think you want the gossip pages for that, Nora. That’s the crime section.”

“Pfft… I like reading around the subject,” Nora answered with a wave. “Ooh, there’s White Fang here!”

“There’s White Fang here!?” asked Ruby in some alarm.

“There’s Fang _everywhere_ kiddo, even in Atlas, if well-hidden,” Qrow said. “Lionheart mentioned them too, remember? But they’re not all the threat the Vale lot were.”

“But Cinder’s plans could involve them too, right?” Ruby pressed.

“Could be,” Qrow conceded. “It might be worth considering. We’ve got to be careful, though, and avoid trouble with the local police. We don’t have Beacon to bail us out of trouble here, and I don’t think Leo will prove as helpful if we get in the way of the law.”

“We might have to join the queue,” said Nora.

Ruby and Ren looked blank. Nora’s thoughts were sometimes hard to follow.

“The… queue?” asked Qrow.

“Yeah, the queue. We’re not the only ones interested in the White Fang. Seems the local gangs have been having a crack at the White Fang too; it’s Mistral’s top crime news.”

“Yeah, Lionheart said something about that,” Qrow replied. “It happens. Local branches of the White Fang need funds, and sometimes dabble in the same fundraising tactics that the syndicates do. It’s a small turf war.”

“It’s a bloody turf war. Whole White Fang hideouts have been wiped out, with no prisoners or survivors!” Nora said, with a bit too much glee in her tone.

“These things escalate.”

“Say,” Nora said, hand on chin and eyes upward in thought. “You don’t think _our friend_ is involved in this, do you?”

“Nora,” said Ruby “She’s one of the kindest people I know. I don’t think she’d be involved in gang warfare.”

"You're probably right," Nora said with her usual smile. "After all, it'd be completely _crazy_ for an insanely skilled warrior and huntress, one who is an undefeated champion in gladiatorial combat and is now armed with spooky magic powers, to seek bloody vengeance in a one-woman war on the terrorist organization that helped in the attack that murdered the boy she loved."

There was a long pause.

Ren blinked.

Ruby dropped her spoon.

Qrow thought back to that makeshift training dummy on Patch. The one that only had a reprieve from its brief but hellish existence because Nikos _left_.

A curse crossed his lips.

“Okay, Valkyrie,” he said. “Show me.”

####  _Evernight Castle, The Land of Darkness_

“You requested my presence, my Queen?” asked Cinder from the doorway.

“I did, dear Cinder.” Salem looked from her crystalline chair. “I have news. And we’re about to receive more.” She nodded towards the Seer Grimm floating above the table before her. The creature resembled a ghastly jellyfish, its black spherical body levitating as its thin tentacles fell and draped onto the table beneath. “Please join me,” she said with a gesture.

Cinder walked over, and stood beside Salem, as Salem turned her red eyes back on the Seer.

A voice emanated from the sphere, as red moke appeared to ripple beneath its skin. “Your Grace, are… you there?” a voice haltingly asked. The smoke shifted, and the form of Leonardo Lionheart, headmaster of Haven Academy appeared in the sphere as if on a screen.

“Hello, Leonardo. Do you have something to report?” Salem asked.

“Of course, ma’am. I would not waste your time, if not,” he replied.

The form of Arthur Watts appeared from behind Lionheart and approached the ‘screen’. Cinder clenched her teeth. For all the grudges she held, for all the animosity she had for those who stood in the way of her destiny, she didn’t despise anyone quite like she did Arthur Watts.

“I’m still just so fascinated by this creature. Cinder dear, are we coming through?” he said, tapping the Seer at his end. “Can you see us clearly? Well, as clearly as you can,” he added, sneering at her lost eye.

It was a sentiment he shared.

“Shut… up,” Cinder growled.

“Oh goody,” he said sarcastically. “You’ve recovered.”

“Your report,” Salem cut in. “What is it.”

“I’ve… I’ve found the Spring Maiden. And have news about Fall.”

Cinder’s eye locked onto the Seer with burning interest, hungry for the news he bore, and angry at the title he so falsely applied. _She_ was the Fall Maiden.

“Is that so? Well done.” Salem replied. Her eyes turned to focus on Watts’ image. “Arthur, had I known how useful you’d be in expediting this process, I would’ve sent you long, long ago.”

“As much as I’d love to take credit, ma’am, I can’t say that either of us are to thank for this development. I guess you could say, a little birdie told us.”

“Explain,” Salem ordered.

“You see, ma’am, Qrow Branwen arrived at Haven Academy yesterday,” Lionheart said. “He and his party had a skirmish with his sister’s tribe en route, in which they encountered Spring.”

“And what of Nikos?” Cinder asked eagerly.

“She’s not with them,” replied Watts, “but they came to Mistral looking for her. They apparently think she’s gone rogue and came here incognito, and they’re looking to help their little friend.”

Salem nodded, raising her hand to still Cinder. “And the silver-eyed girl?”

“Miss Rose was in attendance,” Watts said.

“Excellent. Tyrian is on his way to Mistral as we speak with an assignment to capture her and bring her to me. Offer him your assistance when he arrives in locating her.”

“Of course, ma’am,” Watts answered.

“Leonardo, do you know of the tribe’s location?”

“Yes ma’am. But you have to hurry!” Lionheart said with sudden strength. “Qrow is already impatient and…”

Salem’s eyes narrowed.

On the sphere before them, the image of a tentacle shot out and wrapped itself around Lionheart’s throat. He began choking and fell to his knees.

“Leonardo, do you remember the first time we met?” Salem said. “I remember. I remember your fear. But since that day, you’ve been _extraordinarily_ brave. I won’t forget all that you’ve done for me. Do _not_ forget everything that _I_ can do to _you_!”

Another tentacle tipped with a sharp spike drew close to Lionheart’s face. It was held there for a moment, before it was drawn back. Salem then gestured, and Lionheart was released and left gasping for breath.

“Arthur, you will arrange to meet with the Branwen tribe and convince Raven that cooperation is in the best interests of her tribe’s survival. We’ll leave them alone if they give us access to the Vault. Once you have secured the assistance of Spring’s assistance, escort her to the Relic and coordinate with Hazel; Adam Taurus was promised our aid in the destruction of Haven, and he and the White Fang can have it once we have obtained what we need.”

“Understood, ma’am.”

“Meanwhile, Cinder,” Salem said, turning to her companion, “you and your team will fly to Mistral to locate our missing half-maiden and obtain the rest of her power.”

“I must stress,” Watt’s said, “that all we have is Branwen’s belief that she’s in Mistral. He could be wrong.”

“He’s not,” Salem replied. “Are your assignments understood?”

“They are, ma’am,” Watts replied urbanely, Lionheart bowing. “They will be done.”

“Good,” Salem replied curtly. Their image vanished from the Seer’s surface, ending the conversation.

“You’re very quiet, Cinder,” Salem said. “I thought you were eager to find the half-maiden. Speak your mind.”

“Watts… isn’t wrong,” Cinder gritted out. “We have little to go on other than our enemies’ suspicions. Even if she’s in Mistral, finding her will be… a challenge. And I don’t understand why we’d work with bandits or keep Ruby alive. We’re strong enough to take what we want by force!”

“ _Never_ underestimate the usefulness of others,” Salem replied. “Take Leonardo; he was one of Ozpin’s most trusted, and yet now…” she chucked darkly. “Or, for an example closer to your heart, take Adam Taurus. He’s been in touch and is eager to cooperate along the lines we’ve discussed. However, he’s been having some trouble in Mistral. Apparently, the White Fang there are being hunted by someone calling themselves ‘The Fall Maiden’.” Salem gave Cinder a meaningful look.

“What!?” Cinder said, caught between desire and disbelief. “But she’s a weakling!”

“Adam’s mysterious assailant can manipulate weapons and conjure fire, and she’s looking for someone called Cinder Fall. Does this sound familiar?”

Desire won out. This was her, the first real clue to her location, and for Cinder to fulfil her destiny!

“I see you’re convinced,” Salem chuckled lightly. “Be careful Cinder. Do not underestimate her, and likewise be careful of Ruby Rose. There’s a reason I’ve assigned _her_ capture to Tyrian. Both will be easier to deal with separately than if they are allowed to combine. Adam’s asked for your assistance in dealing with his ‘Maiden’ as part of our agreement with the White Fang. I trust that you won’t have any issues in working with others in _this_ matter?”

“No, my Queen,” Cinder answered and bowed her head. And as she did, she smiled.

####  _Lodgings in Mistral_

It had been a long day, but Qrow had been able to defer that visit to a bar. It was easier to stay focused when there was a task ahead of him. They’d returned to their lodgings, but not to lounge around. Instead they were poring over news articles, searching for clues in the so-called gang war.

“All of the attacks are in Lower Mistral. Does that mean anything?” asked Ruby, having plotted the sites onto a map.

“Afraid not, pipsqueak. That’s simply where White Fang hideouts _are_ ,” replied Qrow. They’d been going over what they could find for hours, looking for patterns that could lead them to Nikos.

“I’ve found _something_ ,” said Nora. Many of the more upmarket news outlets had restricted themselves to what the police could establish. Nora had braved more… _adventurous_ sources of ‘news’ with their potpourri of rumours, most of which outright contradicted each other. Some seemed marginally saner than others, but he wasn’t convinced by the claim that the attacks were the work of an Atlesian special ops team, let alone that they were operating under the direction of Specialist _Winter Schnee_. As fun as riling her up would have been, she’d unfortunately returned to Atlas before the borders were closed, making it even less likely that she was running a secret death squad in Mistral.

He made a mental note to ask her about it anyway.

This time, however, Nora had struck pay dirt.

“Nora,” Ren asked. “Where are these rumours _from_?”

“Both White Fang and Syndicate sources, from what I can tell. Which is what makes me think it’s legit. In addition to the content, that is.”

There was little in this rumour that would have distinguished it from all the others flying around, save to the eyes of this party. Amidst all the tales of Atlesian death squads, human Grimm and all the other stories that pushed most people towards a more down-to-earth explanation was another persistent claim. That the attacks were the work of a singular ‘red’ huntress.

 _Brothers!_ It had to be her! Nikos _was_ waging a private war on the White Fang!

What did she hope to accomplish? Her real goal was Cinder Fall, obviously; she’d indeed come here following the very lead he’d discussed with Ruby. But she’d avoided Haven itself. But then she’d seen enough of Ozpin’s circle to probably realise Lionheart was part of it too, and she was clearly trying to avoid them. He supposed any previous trust had been shaken by the fall of Beacon; her anger back at the hospital was evidence of that. So, she planned to track down Cinder herself, and perhaps suspected as they did that the Fang offered a connection to her.

But Nikos was running a hell of a risk. And not just for herself either: if she died, the half of the Maiden powers she guarded would go straight to Cinder. They’d be in the very mess they feared when they’d asked her to step into Jimmy’s machine. Except worse, because Beacon was in ruins too.

“What are we going to do?” asked Ruby, as she looked up from Nora’s Scroll, the last to see the alarming story.

“I don’t know,” Qrow said. “We need more information.”

His Scroll began ringing.

He took it out and looked at it. The kids looked at him. He didn’t recognise the number. It could be Lionheart, he supposed, but if it was Qrow owed him an apology, if he was moving this quickly. But then why call him on another number? But it had to be someone local.

He answered it. “Who is this?” he asked.

“Er…” a young voice came through. “My name is Oscar Pine, sir. Is this Qrow Branwen?”

“Yeah, what of it?” he growled.

“Umm…” Oscar replied nervously. “I’m supposed to ask you for my cane back?”

Qrow looked at his Scroll in shock. “Well I’ll be.”

After receiving directions, young Oscar had arrived at their lodgings and now sat on an armchair, looking terrified. The young, freckled, farm boy had never met huntsmen and huntresses before, let alone under such circumstances.

Ruby, Ren and Nora were in a state of shock too. They sat together on a sofa, while before them was this young teen, who occasionally spoke with the voice of their dead headmaster.

Only apparently he wasn’t dead.

Qrow had tossed the headmaster’s cane at the boy when he first presented himself. He’d caught it instinctively, the cane extending as if it immediately responded to its master’s touch.

“Here, kid,” Qrow passed him a cup of tea. “How did you find us?”

“Uh… apparently Ozpin was expecting to meet you in Mistral and remembered your Scroll number.” The boy blushed, before adding, “he says that was a better idea than visiting random taverns and hoping to get lucky.”

Qrow grunted in response.

“So, he’s speaking in your head right now?” Nora asked.

“Yes,” Oscar replied. “He’s still here. And I’m still here when he’s… in control.”

“Like you’re possessed?” Ruby said uneasily.

“No, more like we… share.” Oscar said timidly. “Sorry, this is all new to me too.”

“It’s okay, kid,” Qrow said. “This is bound to be a bit overwhelming for everyone. That said, do you mind us talking to Oz again? We need to have a conversation.”

“Sure…” Oscar said. He lowered his head and closed his eyes. A green and white aura sparked to life around his body before fading once more, and he reopened his eyes. Now, however, they glowed, and his voice was layered not only with Oscar’s voice, but with many, and above them all a very familiar voice.

“It is so very good to see you, again, students,” he said, smiling faintly.

“Professor… Ozpin?” asked Ren.

“Correct,” said the Professor. “Though as Oscar explained, he’s still here mentally too. I realise this must be very perplexing.”

“And alarming, and bizarre, and just _really_ kind of hard to believe overall!” said Nora.

The Professor in the Boy chucked softly. “It’s good to see you children still have your sense of humour.” He looked down and frowned, before looking back up. “I known you’ve all been through tremendous hardship already, and suspect you’ve been through more. I’m sorry.”

“I mean, it’s not your fault,” said Ruby

“It’s _all_ my fault,” Ozpin replied. “I told you once, Miss Rose, that I’ve made more mistakes than any man, woman and child on this planet, and I wasn’t exaggerating. My recent failures only add to this.”

“Recent failures?” asked Ren.

“The fall of Beacon should never have happened. I should have seen it coming, and there were plenty of signs, now that I’ve had time to look back on them. You students should never have been put into that position. It joins my previous failures.”

“What do you mean, Professor?” asked Ruby

“I’m cursed. For thousands of years, I’ve walked the surface of Remnant, living, dying, and reincarnating in the body of a like-minded soul. The Professor Ozpin you know was not my first form, and evidently is not my last. I am the combination of countless men who’ve spent their lives trying to protect the people of Remnant. With each rebirth my soul is eventually merged with another and I change, but my memories stay with me. This curse was bestowed upon me by the Gods, because I failed to stop Salem in the past. And we _must_ stop her now.”

“But how do we do that?” asked Ruby.

“A good question,” replied Ozpin. “But first I must know where we stand. I know the CCT tower fell from the lack of global communications and have heard of the fall of Beacon. But I lack knowledge of much else that happened after my passing. From your lack of reaction to her name, I gather that Qrow has briefed you somewhat of our true enemy.”

“I had to,” Qrow said.

Ozpin nodded without protest. “And what happened at Beacon after I died?”

“The hacked droids were stopped after Ruby here managed to crash Jimmy’s airship,” Qrow replied. “But the tower was attacked by that enormous flying beast, that Grimm Wyvern. Nothing we could do could stop it. Not until pipsqueak here awoke the power of her silver eyes and blasted it. That froze it solid, but it’s still attracting Grimm to Beacon. Goodwitch is working on ways to remove it.

“You have laser eyes?!” Nora asked Ruby. “That’s so cool!”

“Yeah, I guess,” Ruby said nervously. “I don’t know how trigger them though.”

“There’s much truth in fairy tales, as I’m sure you’re beginning to realise,” Ozpin told them. “Amongst those stories are those of silver-eyed warriors, said to be especially deadly to Grimm. Do you remember what I told you when I first met you, Miss Rose?”

“That… that I have silver eyes!”

“Indeed. I knew you had this power locked in you, though not having them myself can give you little guidance. Your mother would have known more, but…” Ozpin frowned again. “I’m sorry. And sorry you had to unlock this power under such circumstances. Hopefully it won’t take as much next time.”

Ozpin paused, taking a sip from the cup. “And what of your fellow students, children? Miss Rose, I would have expected your team with you; where is team RWBY?”

“They’re scattered,” Ruby said sadly, “but still alive. Mister Schnee took Weiss back to Atlas, Yang lost her arm and is back in Patch with Dad. Blake left afterwards; I’m not sure where but apparently Sun’s looking out for her.”

Ozpin nodded solemnly. “Miss Valkyrie, Mister Ren, I am very pleasantly surprised to see you here. Miss Goodwitch will feel vindicated for her faith in you. But what of the rest of team JNPR?”

What little mood remained in the room vanished. Nora took hold of Ren’s hand, while Ruby’s eyes teared up.

Ozpin looked at his students with growing concern. “Qrow, what happened to Miss Nikos? Did she get away?”

“You could say that, yes,” Qrow said. “She’s alive. She escaped Cinder, but only because Arc saved her.”

A brief smile lit Ozpin’s face. “I knew he had potential. I’m glad Mister Arc–”

“He died doing so.”

“Oh.” Ozpin looked at his students once more. Nora had silent tears running down her face, Ren’s hand clenched in her fist. Ren had fallen into his stoic impassivity, while Ruby had closed her eyes. “I am… I am very sorry for your loss,” he said softly.

Qrow felt the need to explain further. “The kids… it’s been rough for all of them. But Nikos took it even harder. Really bad. Goodwitch had me take team JNPR to Patch to keep them safe, perhaps give her time to recover. But then she vanished.”

“She WHAT?!” Ozpin yelled, jolted into life. The trainees looked up in surprise, shocked out of their tears.

“She wasn’t taken,” Qrow said. “We think she overheard me telling Ruby about the clues we had pointing here. She took off that night, and so we followed her here.”

“Has Leonardo been any help?”

“Well that’s the other thing. Leo’s acting odd. We found the Spring Maiden on our way here too – she’s apparently a bandit in my sister’s tribe. But Lionheart’s delaying any action, and Haven is completely empty save for him.”

Ozpin placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose, a surprisingly old gesture when performed by the body of a young boy. “This is most worrying!” he muttered.

“Can’t we just take little cute boy Ozpin to Lionheart and have him set things straight?” asked Nora.

“Please _don’t_ call me that,” said Ozpin.

“But the headmasters all take their orders from you?” asked Ren.

“That _is_ the intention,” said Ozpin. “Four lieutenants I could trust, especially during times of reincarnation. But what you’re describing, Qrow, that doesn’t just sound irrational, he’s disobeying specific instructions. He’s leaving the Relic of Knowledge unguarded, precisely when we know the key is in dubious hands. Somethings wrong.”

“Well, what do we do?” asked Ruby.

“It may be best to keep certain details to ourselves. He doesn’t know I’ve paired with Oscar, let’s keep it that way. What _did_ you tell him?”

“We told him about Spring, and the location of the Branwen tribe,” Qrow said. “We also told him Nikos was the guardian, and that we were looking for her here.”

“I don’t want to leap to any conclusions, but this may be very bad,” Ozpin said. “So, you told him everything?”

“Not everything,” Qrow said. “We didn’t know about you yet, and we also didn’t know about what Nikos might be doing here.”

“And what’s that…?” Ozpin asked with sudden suspicion.

“Going through the White Fang like a buzzsaw!” said Nora.

Ozpin looked at her with eyes that’d seen thousands of winters. “Explain,” he sighed.

“Well, we’ll keep _that_ to ourselves,” Ozpin said once they’d finished explaining, with some horror.

“You think it’s true?” asked Ruby.

“I hardly believed it of Miss Nikos when you told me,” Ozpin replied. “But the clues you’ve gathered do add up. I’m by no means certain it’s true, but it makes more sense than I hoped or thought I knew.”

“I don’t think we knew her quite as well as perhaps we should have,” said Qrow.

“Perhaps,” Ozpin admitted.

“Well, what are we going to do about it?” asked Nora.

“Finding Miss Nikos has to be one of our objectives,” Ozpin said. “But we also have to ensure the safety of the Relic of Knowledge. It’s at grave risk, and our enemy is clearly more ready to make bold moves than I’d anticipated.”

“What about the Relic of Choice?” asked Ruby.

Ozpin’s lips were tugged into a slight smile, the sort a teacher has for a favoured student. “It’s safe for now, back in Vale. So long as Miss Nikos is at large, Salem cannot get to it, and in any case finding the Relic at Beacon is a little more… challenging than the Relics at the other schools.”

“So, what _do_ we do?” asked Ren “If Professor Lionheart is unhelpful?”

“We need the help of more huntsmen,” said Ozpin.

“But the Mistral Council–”

“Doesn’t own every huntsman in the kingdom,” interrupted Qrow. “I’ve been here enough times to know where we can find some more.”

“So long as they’re trustworthy,” Ozpin insisted.

“You can trust them to put up a good fight,” Qrow replied. “I’ll draw up a list tonight. But… chasing up further leads into Nikos is going to require looking at police sources, or ones on the other side of the law. I can go places these kids can’t. But I can’t check those leads and chase up all the huntsmen we need.”

“We can help!” Ruby said. “Please let us!”

Ozpin looked doubtful. “You also need more training, all three of you, and Oscar too. Yes Oscar, the practice will help. I was going to train you all here.”

“And I’m sure we need training,” said Ren. “But we also can’t stay here the whole time when there’s tasks that need to be done.”

Ozpin looked at Ren, and then at Ruby and Nora in turn. “Very well,” he nodded grudgingly, “we do need every hand we can get. Qrow, make sure to highlight those on your list that we can send the students to contact. Avoiding the lowest levels.”

“Sure thing,” Qrow said.

“But,” Ozpin added, looking at the trainees, “I do expect you to devote time to being trained too. We’ll need every minute of it.”

The three nodded in agreement.

“Very well. Now I don’t believe much more can be achieved tonight, so you should all get some sleep. If you could make sure a bed is available for Oscar as well, he’ll need it soon,” Ozpin said. The three trainees turned to go upstairs. “Don’t worry, Oscar, I’ll give you back control in just a moment,” Ozpin said, appearing to speak to himself.

“That seems so odd,” Qrow muttered.

“I’m sure,” Ozpin said, “though not as odd as Oscar himself is finding it. Be good to him.” He paused and glanced at Qrow’s face. “I know that look, Qrow. You think we’re making a mistake. Speak your mind.”

“I don’t,” Qrow said. “I think we’re playing the hand we have now. What I think is we already made them, back in Vale. Hard to say otherwise, considering what happened to Beacon and this situation with Nikos. I just hope we can get to her in time.”

####  _A Room in Mistral_

_Foolish, foolish, foolish!_

She’d beaten him. She’d defeated the infamous Adam Taurus. But then he escaped because she allowed him to distract her, because he outwitted her. If she’d stayed focused as she should have, disabled him when she had the chance, then she could have obtained all the information she needed and likely lured Cinder Fall into a trap of Pyrrha’s making. Instead that chance was gone, gone with Taurus and that remaining soldier of his, the one she’d failed to make sure she’d killed.

She’d learn the lesson from that. She was still too given to being sporting. She had to make sure her enemies were down and _out_ , to make sure they couldn’t interfere with what needed to be done.

Still, she supposed the encounter would still serve as bait. He’d doubtless contact Cinder after Pyrrha has asked about her, and Pyrrha had told Adam enough that Cinder would doubtless come running. But she’d have the opportunity to strike at a time and place of her choosing. Pyrrha would need to work something out, some way of shaping the coming encounter to give her the advantage.

She’d have to give the matter some thought.

For now, however, she looked down at her Scroll. It was a cheap device, not the one she’d used in Beacon. That she’d left long behind; after what happened during the fall, she couldn’t trust that the enemy hadn’t compromised the network. But she’d managed to save some files across as a concession to herself. Some contained potentially useful information. Others were more personal, like this photograph here. It showed four teenagers, dressed for a dance, clearly enjoying themselves. Her eyes teared up as she focused on the figure in the centre: a tall, blond, boy in a dress.

It'd been one of the happiest days of her life.

She'd thought she had time. She hadn't. Then she'd feared taking the burden ‘destiny’ thrust upon her would rob her of the connections she’d made, even of her love for him. But in the end, it didn't. In the end she was still _herself_ : she still loved him, and then found that he loved her too.

For a long time Pyrrha had been anxious that there was so much she would never feel; much as she enjoyed competition and the excitement of a good fight – even the thrill of victory – that was not all she desired. She feared being left as she was: isolated, alone and unhappy on top of her pedestal.

Then Jaune, and then Ren and Nora, had entered her life. So much good had come from small beginnings, the start of many wonderful things. Being on team JNPR had given her so much. They saw _her_ , not the champion. They gave her friendship, and then Jaune brought the possibility of so much more. Oh, she wasn’t stupid: he placed her on a pedestal too. But it was a _different_ pedestal, and he placed _her_ on top of it, not the ‘Invincible Girl’, not the ‘Pyrrha Nikos’ others imagined. And right at the end the final barrier had been brought down. She’d been given the opportunity to feel so much more than she could have conceived: camaraderie, companionship, happiness, joy and finally love.

And then Cinder had taken that away from her. Had taken his life from him. Had taken so much from so many.

She’d been fretful about feelings she might never feel, been worried about love and joy and friendship. But she’d never given any thought to the fact that she’d never felt _hate_ before.

She _hated_ now. _Hated_ with a fire that didn't relent, a blaze that burned with endless flame. _Hated_ with a passion that only seemed to give way when… when...

She looked back down at the photo, tears running down her cheeks. In those brief moments when the storm of hatred took breath, it was only ever replaced with another storm: one quieter, but one ever so much more painful.

She allowed herself the pain, for a moment, before welcoming the hatred back in. Hatred at least focused her, gave her a goal, a target. There would be time enough to weep once it was all over. Once Cinder Fall _burned_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the reviews and comments, I'm glad people are enjoying the story.


	12. Chapter Eleven: A Maiden's Magic

####  _The Camp of the Branwen Tribe_

The Schnee girl offered the prospect of some pretty Lien. They could pretty much ask their price for her ransom. Some might say they’d hit the jackpot. Hell, Raven had said it herself.

But she still didn’t like it.

Running into Qrow at Shion might simply be regarded as back luck; rather fitting, considering. While he’d be able to interfere in their plans, he hadn’t been able to stop the tribe from pillaging the village. But now Qrow _knew_. Not as much as he doubtless thought, but he knew, at least, _where_ the Spring Maiden was. He’d tell Little Rose too, and he’d surely tell Ozpin whenever he deigned to reappear. And considering Ozpin’s failure at Beacon, odds were good that Salem would find out eventually too.

_Damn it. Damn him. Damn them all._

And then the Schnee girl literally fell from the sky in a wrecked airship. Sure, she offered the chance of a lucrative payday, but the same girl who’d happened to be on the same team as Summer’s daughter and her own? The same team Ozpin himself had been grooming as his latest set of patsies? She didn’t like that one bit. She’d been free of Ozpin’s schemes and his unwinnable war for over a decade now. Even the prospect of her own daughter being dragged into that conflict hadn’t changed that. But Qrow and now the Schnee girl? It felt Ozpin’s war was encircling her, drawing her in whether she wanted it or not.

She could hear some commotion rising outside the tent. Whatever was happening out there was getting nearer and attracting the attention of more of the tribe. It could be something important, or it could be nonsense; the Branwen tribe were a truculent lot at the best of times and had their share of idiots she had to keep in line. Either way it sounded like she needed to sort it out. She put on her mask, turned, and walked outside, passing through the tent flaps.

Only to see her standing there. Yang Xiao Long, her very own daughter. She was flanked on either side by cut and bruised tribesmen, who’d clearly come off worse in some altercation. Raven supposed she and Yang looked a lot alike now, save that Yang had her father’s blonde hair, and had lilac eyes rather than Raven’s own red. There was the other difference, the one Qrow mentioned: her right arm was now clearly artificial. But it clearly didn’t slow her any, and she had strength too. She must, or she would not be standing before her.

Standing before her for what, however? Could it be? She took a moment to compose herself, as they gazed at each other.

“Mom,” Yang said, raising an arm to her hip.

Raven removed her mask.

“Yang,” she said softly, unwilling feeling seeping out. She placed her mask on the crate, and raised her voice, pushing confidence into her tone. “So, after all this time you finally decided to visit me.” She stepped forward, arms gesturing wide.

“You know that I searched for you. I spent _years_ looking for you!” her daughter replied.

“And you’ve found me. You were patient, determined, and strong enough to make your dream a reality. Well done, Yang.” She leaned forward with a smirk. “But did you have to be so rough with my men?”

“I didn’t want a fight.” Yang crossed her arms. “They started it.”

“Well, you certainly finished it,” Raven said with a smile, feeling more than a hint of pride.

Yang did not respond and continued to glare back at Raven with her arms crossed. A bad sign.

“Right,” Raven said, an edge entering her voice. She pushed it away. “I’m sure this is all very overwhelming. But I must admit that you’ve proven yourself. So, any questions you have, I’ll be happy to answer. You can stay with us tonight. I’ll even have the cooks whip up something for you.”

“That’s not why I’m here,” Yang said with undisguised hostility.

 _Of course it isn’t. You left her first. What did you expect?_ Raven could see the tribesmen bristle at Yang’s disrespect, but it was nothing to the pang that struck at her heart. She beat it down like she always had, as she always did with such feelings of _weakness_.

“ _What_ was that?” she asked sharply. She could not afford to lose face in front of the tribe.

“I'm not here for you,” Yang replied, gesturing with her natural arm. “Ruby is somewhere in Mistral. She's with Qrow, and she's going to need my help. I just need _you_ to take me to her.” She placed her hands on her hips.

“And _why_ would I do that?”

“Because we’re family.”

“Family!” Raven muttered, turning in frustration. That hadn’t stopped Qrow from fighting her at Shion, hadn’t stopped him abandoning the tribe in the first place. And now Yang wished to be reunited with _them_?!

She turned back towards Yang and spoke again in a loud voice, pushing hurt aside. “I have to say, I’m disappointed. After all, you found me, didn’t you? Why not take that drive and use it to find your little sister if she means that much to you?”

“Because _you’re_ going to save me time. Ruby was headed to Mistral, but I don’t know if she got there. Searching Anima could take ages. But… Dad told me how your semblance works.”

“Tai…” Raven whispered. _No_. She would not regret the past, the decisions she _had_ to make to _survive_.

“You bond with certain people,” Yang pressed on. “And when you do, you can create portals that lead straight to them. You’ve a bond with Dad. One with me. And one with Qrow. Ruby went with him, and _he_ won’t _leave_ her. So, make a portal to them, and I’ll be on my way.”

Here and then off. Raven held no malice towards Summer’s daughter, but she resented the hold she had on Yang’s affections, a hold that would bind both the little Rose and Yang to Qrow and in turn to Ozpin and Ozpin’s doom.

“You know, it takes real strength to march in here and demand such a favour of me. I've got to say, I'm impressed. It's very _noble_ ,” Raven said, pacing to the side, scorn now entering her tone, “to want to help out your sister. But if she's with Qrow, then she's already a lost cause.”

“What does _that_ mean?” Yang asked angrily.

“You don't want to get mixed up in all of that, Yang,” Raven said, facing away to the side, with a flash of gentle sincerity. “Ozpin is not the man you think he is. And Qrow is a fool for trusting him.” Raven turned back towards her daughter, hoping she could make her see sense. “I would know, I trusted him once, too.”

“I don’t care what you think!”

The tribesmen braced themselves, while Raven took a moment to reign in her own feelings. Her child was being petulant, but anger alone would not show her the truth.

“Your choice is your own. All I’m suggesting is that instead of getting wrapped up in something too big for you, for _any_ of us,” Raven said, gesturing about her, “is that maybe you take a moment to wonder if you’re already where you belong.” _Let me explain, at least_.

“Save your breath!” Yang said. “You can spout off whatever you want, but _nothing_ is going to keep me from my sister!”

“Well, aren’t you stubborn,” Raven growled in frustration. Why couldn’t her girl listen to her?!

“I get it from my mom,” Yang shot back, crossing her arms once more.

Raven stared at Yang but saw no weakness in her expression. She’d be proud, if her daughter weren’t being so foolish. If she wasn’t refusing to even _talk_.

“Well, if that’s how you feel, then it sounds like we’re done here.” Raven turned on her heel. Yang may not see it, but she was doing her daughter a favour. If Yang wouldn’t see the truth, Raven certainly didn’t want to speed her way to being inveigled by Ozpin’s lies. “Take her away,” she ordered, and began walking back towards her tent.

“Did you not hear me?” Yang called out. Raven looked back over her shoulder. “I said send me to Qrow, damn it!” Yang yelled, eyes suddenly blazing red.

“That’s enough!” said one of the tribesmen. “You watch our mouth in front of our leader!” The tribesmen visibly tensed.

“Make me,” said Yang.

The tribesman who spoke charged forward, cleaver held aloft. Yang ducked beneath the swing and brought her robotic arm back. She brought it forward in a punch that sent the tribesman through a tent, collapsing it.

“Yang?” The white-haired Schnee girl called out, now revealed in her cage from behind the tent.

“Weiss?” Yang exclaimed in surprise.

The Schnee girl said something to herself and bent down. Her cage burst open as a spectral armoured giant grew from within it. Raven looked on incredulously as the Schnee and her summoned creature ran over to her daughter, while her tribe – supposedly bandits with some spine – did little or nothing aside from circle around the trio.

“What is _that_?” Yang asked the Schnee, waving at the giant.

“Don’t worry about it. What are you doing here?”

Yang turned and nodded towards Raven. “Well that’s my mom, and she can take us to Ruby.”

Raven scoffed in frustration. As much as her daughter’s evident strength pleased her, her one-track mind when it came to Summer’s daughter was disappointing.

“Your _mom_ kidnapped me?!” The Schnee yelled.

“You kidnapped her?!” Yang shouted at Raven.

The tribesmen began to respond, recovering from their surprise, and drew closer to the trio, weapons ready. The three turned to fight them.

Raven had had enough. The Schnee girl had indeed been an ill omen. The appearance of her daughter, strong and able, should have been a great day. But she was also resentful, and positively anxious to take a course of action that would plunge her into Ozpin’s war. Now her tribe had embarrassed itself and was seemingly intent on making things worse by engaging in a full-scale fight in the middle of their encampment. She had to bring this to a close.

Her mask was off, but attention was focused away from her. Good. She closed her eyes, hoping that Vernal was ready to improvise.

The power within her responded.

Lightning shot down between the prospective combatants.

“Enough!” Vernal yelled. Raven opened her eyes to see Vernal posed dramatically before her.

 _Well done, Vernal_ , Raven thought. _Impeccable acting as always_.

“Thank you,” she told her. She turned to the crowd. “If you people don’t keep it together this place will be crawling with Grimm.” She looked again towards Vernal. “Give the girl her weapon back,” she ordered.”

Vernal was reluctant but obeyed. A valuable quality indeed amongst the tribe. She tossed the Schnee girl’s sword towards her, which was deftly caught by the white-haired girl. Raven made a mental note to make sure Vernal was suitably rewarded later. _She_ , at least, was not a disappointment.

“You two,” Raven called out to Yang and her teammate. “In my tent. _Now_.”

“Why?” Yang asked in challenge.

“Because if you’re really going after your sister, then you need to know the truth,” she said. She turned and walked back into her tent, not even waiting for acknowledgement. If Yang wanted a portal, she’d have to come in here. Then at least she’d have another opportunity to talk to her, another opportunity to warn her daughter of that manipulator and his hopeless battle. Ideally before Yang lost herself to it. Preferably before she dragged Raven into it right alongside her.

####  _A Safehouse in Mistral_

“Adam!” Cinder Fall called out with faux affability as she walked into the small apartment. “It’s been a while.”

Adam Taurus glowered at her, while the White Fang around them – a couple of guards on the door, a couple of others beside him at the table – looked on uneasily.

It was good to be out of that castle, back in her element. She was back on the path that led to her destiny, and this time there would be no enforced time out. She walked up to the table, aware of Emerald and Mercury right behind her, right where they belonged.

“Cinder,” Adam eventually said.

“This is her?” said one of Adam’s underlings, a big woman with what looked like bear ears. “This is the Cinder that monster is looking for?” The woman looked over her. “She doesn’t look like much.”

“I don’t recognise you,” Cinder replied. “In fact, I don’t recognise any of you,” she said, looking at the other White Fang in the room. “New staff, Adam? Whatever happened to the old ones?”

Mercury snorted, while the bear-woman clenched her fists in anger. The other White Fang in the room tensed up, hands drifting to weapons.

“Rajah,” Adam put a hand on the woman’s arm and she relaxed, though she continued to glare at Cinder. “Was that necessary?” he asked Cinder.

“No,” she said. _It was fun._ “Though to be clear about my identity,” she raised her hand, fingers outstretched to show no weapon in them. She brought her hand flat, palm up, and with but a little effort of will caused a small flame to appear in the palm of her hand. She smirked as she saw in alarm in Rajah’s eyes.

“Is that a semblance? Fire dust?” asked the other member of the White Fang at the table, a man with vaguely reptilian traits.

“No,” she replied. “It’s _magic_.”

He looked at Adam and Rajah with shock, but Adam nodded.

“Cinder, and Cinder’s master, have many powers some would consider impossible,” he said. “But they’re real. I’ve seen them. They were powerful allies to our cause in Vale and can be again.” He paused and looked at Cinder. “Though this is _your_ mess we’re dealing with, Cinder, she’s after you.”

"And I'm anxious to meet her. Rest assured she will be no problem for the White Fang – or anyone else – when we're done. I’ll deal with it for you.”

“She won’t be easy,” Rajah said. “She has a measure of… power too. And she was able to manipulate our own weapons.”

“Polarity,” Mercury spoke up. “It’s her semblance,” he shrugged.

“I’d advising against underestimating her,” Adam said with some irritation. “She could disarm us at range.”

“And I can see why that would be inconvenient for you, Adam,” Cinder replied.

“It’ll be inconvenient for you too if you don’t take this seriously.”

“Hardly,” Cinder smiled. _Just a little bit of dust and sand and…_ she flicked her wrist, took of the ‘clay’ and used her semblance to superheat the raw material and give it form. The group, bar Adam, flinched as with a flash of heat a black glass dagger appeared in Cinder’s hand. She twirled it in her hand before placing it on the table. “She can deflect metal; she can’t deflect this. She won’t be able to stop _my_ weapons.” _Not this time._

“You still need to find her,” said Rajah.

“Now that is the trick,” admitted Cinder. “Where has she attacked?”

Rajah glanced at Adam, who nodded. In response she pulled out a map and laid it on the table.

“Five sites have been attacked,” she said, pointing them out on the map. “Four belonging to the local branches of the Fang. The first attacked, here, was home to our Valish brothers. That’s also the site we were ambushed at.”

Cinder caught the ‘we’. _So, she was with Adam when it happened._ She looked at the map. “So how did she know?” she asked.

“Know what?” said Rajah.

“Where your bases were,” Cinder replied condescendingly. “She’s not psychic, and I doubt you make their location public knowledge.”

Adam kept his gaze levelled on her.

“She isn’t,” Cinder said. “Trust me, I’d know.”

“Dax,” Adam nodded at the reptilian looking man.

“A bar run by one of our Valish brethren was burned the preceding week. At the time it just seemed like some local trouble, a fight that got out of hand, but the last to leave the bar report that the bartender was arguing with a young human girl.”

Cinder could feel the _hunger_ clawing at her. She could feel her prey was near. “And from there to the first warehouse?”

“Sal, the ‘owner’ of the bar, reported to us via the Lieutenant who ran that cell,” Dax said.

“Well that explains that, and why she knew to keep an eye on that warehouse for you, Adam,” she said offhandedly. She continued to stare at the map, wishing she could will Nikos location to disclose itself. A thought struck her. “But what of the others?”

“Others?” asked Rajah.

“The other hideouts,” Cinder said scathingly. “You said it yourself, they housed local cells. Last I checked, cells aren’t accustomed to sharing vital information.” She turned to Adam. “And they don’t report to you, do they Adam?”

“No, they don’t,” Adam said, annoyed but seeing her point. “Perry only found out after the attacks, after the police found them. And I was informed of their locations by the High Leader.”

“So, this… what do you call her?”

“She called herself the Fall Maiden,” offered Rajah.

“ _That_ … is not her name!” Cinder said icily. “ _That_ is a _title_ that does not belong to her!” She took a breath and unclenched her fists. She needed to calm herself; Pyrrha Nikos would pay for her arrogant presumption in time. Should she disclose Nikos’ identity? No, not yet: information, like any other source of power, was to be hoarded until it was time to use it. “This… I believe the rumour mills call her the ‘Red Huntress’? She somehow knew things about the White Fang that _you_ didn’t.”

“ _How_?” Rajah growled.

Adam looked away for a moment, before looking back. “The gangs,” he said.

“I thought that was just what the police thought?” asked Rajah. “That they don’t know what’s really going on?”

“They don’t,” Adam replied. “But many of the local cells _were_ having trouble with the syndicates, enough that the gangs would at least have some idea of their turf. And I expect they had most trouble with the Spiders.” He turned to Cinder. “Lil’ Miss Malachite heads the Spiders. She’s also Mistral’s foremost information broker. If anyone outside the Fang had an idea about the location of those hideouts, it’d be her.”

“Well,” said Cinder, “I guess my next step is to meet with this Lil’ Miss Malachite.”

“If she’s working with the… Red Huntress, why would she tell you anything?” asked Rajah.

“She sounds like a businesswoman,” Cinder replied. “I’m sure we can do business, providing I offer the right price.”

Adam nodded. “Just bring it to an end, quick. _Our_ plans depend on the White Fang in Mistral still being a functional organisation.”

“I’m aware of that, Adam,” Cinder said. “And I’m as anxious to end this quickly as you are. But let me worry about it. Don’t you have a flight to catch? My colleague Hazel is waiting.”

“Adam?” asked Rajah with concern.

“It’s _time_ for me to meet with the High Leader,” Adam replied.

Rajah nodded, a look of understanding in her eye. “I’ll look forward to hearing word.”

“As will I,” Cinder replied. “And rest assured, by the time you do this Red Huntress will be nothing more than ashes.”

####  _Raven’s Tent, The Camp of the Branwen Tribe_

They sat in the tent around a low table – Raven one side, Yang and Weiss the other – as Vernal prepared tea. Raven kept her gaze on her daughter in contemplation, hoping for some clue to pierce through Yang’s stubborn nature. Persuasion wasn’t a tool Raven Branwen had much practice in using. The way of the tribe was simpler: the strong prevailed, the weak succumbed. Raven had always been strong, had always been able to rely on force to lead the tribe. But she had no wish to crush her own daughter’s strength. She just wanted her to see the truth.

Some would wonder why she persisted. It was Yang’s life, Yang’s decision. Everyone had to sink and swim by their own choice. And yet Raven couldn’t simply pass Yang along to Ozpin in a neat package, even if she could avoid being drawn in herself. And she no confidence in the latter, not after Shion and all these other little ‘coincidences’. Qrow, little Rose, Schnee and now Yang. She left this war seventeen years ago, and yet it felt like fate itself was conspiring to mire her in it.

Vernal finished pouring the cups of tea.

“You can wait outside. Thank you,” Raven said to her.

Vernal laid the teapot on the table and left the tent. Raven took her cup and sipped the tea.

“So, what’s the ‘truth’?” asked Yang.

Raven finished her sip.

“You know, it’s better when it’s hot.”

“You know, _you’re_ really obnoxious,” said the Schnee girl snidely. _The brat_. Raven had no objection to Ozpin using _her_ as his latest cannon fodder. Raven kept her attention on Yang.

“The truth… the truth is _truth_ is hard to come by. One person’s tale of victory is another’s story of defeat. Your uncle… by now I’m sure he’s told Ruby and her friends plenty of _stories_.”

“He’s never given me reason to doubt him,” said Yang.

“That doesn’t mean such reasons don’t exist,” Raven replied, remembering her last encounter with the man.

Yang scowled at her but said nothing. Raven wondered if she should mention her fight with Qrow, but decided against it. Yang was still idealistic, still attached to the fictions so-called civilised society lived be. She’d doubtless sympathise with the villagers of Shion, and so Qrow himself. But perhaps she could use that.

“It seems you and your teammates could be the poster children for the Huntsman academies. You all joined up to try and make the world a better place. It’s _adorable_ ,” she said.

“It’s what huntsmen and huntresses do,” said Yang.

“No. Not _all_ of them. Some are in it for money and fame, and others just looking to get stronger. Your Uncle Qrow and I didn’t attend beacon to become huntsmen. We did it to learn how to _kill_ huntsmen.”

Both Yang and Weiss gasped and glanced at each other.

“Left that part out, did he?” Raven asked. She smiled inwardly as she poured more tea for herself. _Hung by your own misguided morality, Qrow._ “Aside from the Grimm, huntsmen were the only ones capable of ruining our raids and hunting us down. Our tribe needed a solution.” She took another sip. “Qrow and I were the perfect age. The entrance exams were trivial compared to what we’d already been through. We were good. So good, we caught the headmaster’s own attention. At first, I thought it was because he knew what we were, but it was Team STRQ as a whole that Ozpin was interested in.” Thinking of the past, of her old team – of Tai and Summer especially – always provoked a rush of mixed feelings. She stood and turned towards the back of the tent, keeping her back turned so that none might show on her face.

“What do you mean by that?” Yang asked.

“Constant attention, extra training missions, turning a blind eye whenever we got into trouble.” She looked back over her shoulder at the girls. “Sound familiar?”

The two stole another glance at each other, Weiss gesturing at Yang.

“So, what’s your point?” said Yang.

“How much do you _really_ know about Professor Ozpin?” Raven asked turning towards them. “About his past?”

“He was a prodigy.” Weiss spoke up. “One of the youngest headmasters to be appointed to a school.”

“Because that’s the way he planned it,” Raven nodded. “Because the man you know as Ozpin built the schools and has followers inside every huntsman academy on Remnant that are loyal to him, and to no one else.”

“But that’s crazy!” replied Yang. “How could he…? Why would he…?”

Raven took a deep breath. This was her best chance at getting through to Yang, so that if she crossed blades with Qrow again, her daughter wouldn’t be there standing alongside him. This was the best chance she had at stopping the renewed encroachment of Ozpin’s war into her life.

“And why does it matter? He’s _dead_ ,” said Weiss.

“Is he?” said Raven, taking the opening. Seeing their confusion, she continued. “To answer your first question, Yang, Ozpin is far older than he looks. And he never stays dead. Qrow knows this too; ask him, if you see him again.

“As to why, that’s a secret he eventually entrusted to our team. One which, once I knew, made me dig deeper, needing to know more, and the more I knew the worse it became. The creatures of Grimm have a master, one named Salem. And Ozpin has been at war with her for a _very_ long time. A war he _cannot_ win. So, he set up the schools to recruit children for his little war. He cannot give his own life, but thinks little of spending the lives of others like water.”

The two girls sat, aghast. Yang shook her head as if trying to clear it and stood. “Why should we believe _any_ of this?” she asked.

“ _Good_ ,” Raven said, and approached her daughter, standing face to face with her. “You’re catching on. So far, you’ve done nothing but accept what you’ve been told, but you _need_ to question _everything_.”

She looked into Yang’s eyes, willing her to be open to sense. She turned away.

“Otherwise you’ll end up as blind as Qrow…” she said, and then – before she could stop herself – quietly added, “…and your father.”

The sudden blast of a shotgun filled the tent. The table splintered. Raven span, to see Yang glowering at her with sudden red eyes, faint smoke emanating from the barrel of her wrist mounted weapon.

Blast indeed. Raven inwardly cringed at her mistake.

“Don’t you _dare_ talk about my family like that!” she yelled.

The Schnee girl looked on wide-eyed, while Raven’s gaze flickered to the front of the tent. Vernal stepped back through the flaps, her weapon drawn and pointing at Yang.

“You need to calm down,” said Vernal.

Weiss reached up and took hold of Yang’s hand. “Yang, _please_.”

“Listen to your friend, Yang.” Raven urged. “Your teammates have never let you down before.”

“You don’t know anything about my team! Or me! You were never there! You left us!!” Yang shouted. Her eyes returned to their usual lilac, and her head dropped. “Why?” she said softly.

That confusing, contradictory mix of feelings came again, the feelings that Raven both loved and hated, feelings that longed to reach out and the feelings that despised her for her weakness in wanting so, and feelings of guilt either way.

“I know more than you realise,” Raven replied. She refocused on the task at hand. “Not just about you, and not just what I’ve been told, but things I’ve seen with my _own_ eyes. I know the Grimm have a Queen, I now someone who can come back from the dead, I know that magic is real, and _I can prove it_.”

“How?” asked Weiss, getting up from the floor.

“You said Tai told you all about my semblance?” she asked Yang. Yang nodded. “Well, I doubt he ever told you what Ozpin did to my brother and me.”

She waved off Vernal, and moved to the back of the tent, pausing at the flaps.

“Come and see.”

She passed through, not waiting for them, and _shifted_ , as she’d been able to do ever since Ozpin had foisted this upon them. In the blink of an eye her form changed to that of a raven in truth, and she flew up and perched on one of the trees overlooking the rear of the tent.

Her daughter and her daughter’s friend came stumbling out.

“Mom?” Yang called, looking around in confusion.

“Yang, are you okay?” asked Weiss.

“I’ll be fine once we get her to take us to Ruby.”

If Raven could roll her eyes in this form, she would. Such single-mindedness could be a virtue if rightly directed. But like this? Well, she’d promised them proof. She launched herself off the tree.

“You didn’t believe what she said, did you?” ask Yang.

“I… well no! How could it be?! We have Dust and Semblances, but Magic? People coming back to life? That’s impossible, right?”

Ah, her cue. She cawed, catching their attention.

“I’ve… I’ve seen than bird before,” Yang whispered.

Raven shifted as she neared the ground, transforming into her true self once more. She landed on her feet and stood before them.

“Well?” she said.

“How… how did you do that?” asked Yang.

“I told you. Ozpin used his magic. I could explain more… or you could go ask your uncle.”

“You’ll send us there?” asked Yang.

“I’m giving you a choice, like I said before,” Raven said. “Stay here, with me, and I’ll answer all your questions and many more. We can have a fresh start.”

Yang glared at her. Raven showed no outward reaction. The tribe taught one to always avoid displaying weakness, and she was the strongest of them all. But she felt it, nonetheless.

“Or you can go back to Qrow and join Ozpin’s impossible war… and meet the same fate as so many others,” she said with resignation. She chose to add one last appeal. “But can you really trust someone that’s kept so much from you?”

“All I care about is making sure my sister is safe,” Yang insisted.

“Ugh…” Raven grunted in frustration. Perhaps there would be another opportunity. Perhaps when Yang came face to face with their lies. Maybe she’d get out in time, before she became just something else sucking Raven back in. But for now, her daughter’s gaze showed she would not be shaken.

Her daughter’s motorbike was fetched swiftly. Yang and Weiss sat upon it, poised to ride it to their destination. As Yang revved the motor, Raven sighed and drew Omen. She brought it down, carving through the air behind her, and a red rent appeared, widening to form a portal.

Raven spoke one last time.

“Yang, the last time your uncle and I met, we came to blows. If you side with him when that happens again, I won’t be able to be as kind.”

“You weren’t kind _this_ time,” Yang shot back, and launched the motorbike forwards. It roared through the portal, before that red tear in reality sealed itself shut.

Raven gazed on where the portal had stood. “I know,” she whispered.

####  _The City of Mistral, 3rd Level_

“It’s getting late.”

Ruby looked up from her Scroll to see Ren nodding westwards. The sun was setting.

“There’s one more that’s nearby,” Ruby said. “C’mon, guys, let’s go!”

“We’ve been at this _all_ day,” sighed Nora. “And we have nothing to show for it.”

“That’s why I want to check this one,” Ruby replied. “I don’t want to let Uncle Qrow down.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit odd though?” Nora said. “That we can’t find _any_ of the huntsmen on Qrow’s list?”

“It is strange,” Ren agreed. “They can’t all be late or delayed on missions. And that last one…”

Ruby inwardly shivered. Seeing a little girl asking after her mommy had struck a little too close to home. She dealt with it the only way she knew how, by locking those feelings tight away and focusing on doing good.

She had to. She had to be a hero like her own mother. She couldn’t let anyone else down. If she’d just gotten to the truth sooner, been able to warn someone, maybe Penny would be alive. If she’d just been a bit faster, maybe Jaune would be alive and Pyrrha wouldn’t be hurting so bad. If she’d just lead her team right…

“That’s why we’ve got to try one more,” she declared. “We have to find _one_ huntsman.”

Nora groaned.

“I’m not sure your uncle would want us to be this far down the city after sunset,” Ren insisted.

“And where _is_ everyone?” Nora asked.

They all paused, looking around. The street was still and silent, with little sign of movement in the buildings around them.

“I don’t like this,” admitted Ruby.

“We should get going,” said Ren.

“Oh, I’m afraid it’s a bit too late for that,” a voice called out with a giggle.

Ruby, Ren and Nora drew their weapons, and huddled together, looking for the voice.

“Who’s there?” asked Ren.

Ruby heard movement above, and saw a tall, lanky figure drop down from one of the roofs around them. A pale man stood before them, his dark hair drawn into a pony-tail, wearing a thick leather coat.

“It doesn’t matter who I am,” he said with a gleeful smile. “Well, not to _you_ , anyway. Nor to your other companion. I’m just here for the little Rose.”

“For me?” Ruby asked, confused.

“You’re more famous than you realise, my dear! I’m here to whisk you away to someone very important.”

“And what if she doesn’t want to go?” asked Nora.

“Well, she _doesn’t_ have a choice,” the man. “I’ll take her.”

Ren reacted first. “Nora, cover us,” he yelled. Nora sprang with Magnhild at the ready, while Ren moved in front of Ruby and went for his Scroll.

The man moved, leaping forward. Nora swung Magnhild but the man dodged it and swept in, spinning into a kick that knocked her to the side.

Ren had made his call. “Qrow! We’re on the third level, North peak. They’re after Rub–”

Ren’s scroll was sent flying from his hand as their attacker stretched forward with a scorpion’s tail. Ren’s eyes opened in alarm. Ruby brought Crescent Rose’s scythe down, hoping to cleave the tail off, but their assailant somersaulted to the side out of reach. Ruby took aim with Crescent Rose, but the man moved too fast, knocking it aside with his tail. He lunged forwards but was struck in the side as Ren kicked him. Yet he took the blow and grabbed Ren’s leg, and then sent Ren backwards with a punch to his face.

Ruby fired several shots, but the man deflected them with his stinger. She held her fire as Nora came back in, swinging Magnhild in a wide arc. The man leapt above the hammer, and upon landing kicked out again, sending Nora sprawling once more. He turned on Ruby once more but was distracted as Ren opened fire with his Stormflower pistols.

“Ruby, he’s after you. _Run!_ ” he yelled.

“ _I can’t_!” Ruby said. She couldn’t leave her friends to this madman. She simply couldn’t! She instead dashed in with her semblance, bringing her scythe round. Yet their attacker dodged out of the way and kicked her in the side, sending her tumbling.

She kept hold of Crescent Rose and held it upwards as she came to a halt, just in time to block a downward strike by his stinger. She prepared for a second blow, but their attacker was pushed away as Magnhild hit.

“Ha! How do you like that?!” Nora bellowed.

Their opponent was knocked back but remained on his feet. “I do enjoy it when the prey is… _sporting_ ,” he said with a grin.

Ren came running over, joining Nora and Ruby. “You’re going to have to get through us,” he said.

“Good!” the man said with a laugh. He darted forwards again, ran towards a building to their life and kicked off it to come at them from the side. He struck at Ren with his arm-mounted blades, smacking him to the ground. Nora brought Magnhild down, but he ducked to the side and punched her several times, sending her backwards. Ruby rushed in with a burst of petals, and slashed out Crescent Rose, striking a glancing blow that smashed off his aura. He reacted fast, however, bringing his tail round and smashing into Ruby, sending her flying. She landed across the street with a thud, her aura still intact but feeling bruised.

“Now, now, that wasn’t _polite_ ,” the Scorpion Faunus said as he sauntered over. Ruby struggled to get to her feet, to bring Crescent Rose to bear, but he was too close.

She heard several thuds above her and looked up to see a man dropping off the building she was lying against. He landed with her back to her, right in her attacker’s way.

“Back off, pal. That’s my niece you’re after.”

“Qrow Branwen,” their attacker bowed in mockery. “I was wondering when you would show up.”

“Do I know you?” Qrow said.

“I don’t think you’ve had the pleasure, no. Tyrian is the name. I’m afraid Her Grace insisted that your niece accompany me to meet her, and I cannot disobey an order from my Queen. So, if you’ll stand aside?”

“That’s not going to happen,” growled Qrow, levelling Harbinger and firing. Tyrian jumped out of the way of the blast but Qrow charged forwards, switching Harbinger to its sword mode, slashing at the Faunus. He forced Tyrian back as he launched a flurry of several blows.

Ruby stood. She saw Ren and Nora across the street coming to their feet, at a loss at what to do. “We’ve got to help Uncle Qrow!” she yelled.

“No, Ruby! Stay back! Remember what I told you!” Qrow yelled back.

Right, his semblance. Ruby was torn. Uncle Qrow couldn’t expect her to sit back and do _nothing_ , surely? And yet he’d been very clear: in combat they had to keep their distance from him. She was torn by frustration. She tried to take aim with Crescent Rose, offer some support from a distance, but couldn’t get a straight shot as both combatants moved too fast.

Ren and Nora ran across the street as she tried to line up a shot. “We’ve got to help him!” Ruby said as they came to her side.

“We _are_ ,” Ren said. “By guarding _you_. You’re the one that man is after, and we’d only get in Qrow’s way.” He levelled Stormflower, taking pot-shots when he could, though the Scorpion Faunus’ reactions meant that little hit.

Ruby watched, vexed by Qrow’s instructions, as Tyrian suddenly got the upper hand, kicking Qrow back against one of the buildings and Harbinger out of his hands. Now with a clear shot, Ruby fired twice with Crescent Rose, one shot striking his aura, the other being deflected off his stinger.

“I can make your trip quite unpleasant, girl,” Tyrian said, turning to face her. Qrow dived for Harbinger, but Tyrian’s stinger struck out, just missing Qrow and blocking his way. Qrow rolled to his feet and leapt up, punching Tyrian several times, forcing him back.

“Where’s the police?” said Nora. “This is Mistral itself, shouldn’t there be some nearby?”

Ren shot a concerned glance, still aiming with his pistols. “They don’t always guard the lower levels as they should.”

Ruby dismissed such thoughts from her mind. What mattered is that they weren’t here _now_ , not _why_. They couldn’t let her uncle do this all by himself. What if he got hurt? Qrow was on the back foot again and was shoved against a post. Tyrian punched him in the gut but was taken aback as a sign fell off the post and struck his head. Qrow pushed past him, rolled, and picked up Harbinger once more. Perhaps he could take this?

And then Tyrian lashed out with his tail, knocking Qrow flat. Qrow lay on the street and began turning over to get to his feet, but Ruby feared he wouldn’t be quick enough. The Scorpion Faunus eye’s glowed purple as he approached.

Ruby could hold herself back no more. She ran forwards, using her semblance. “Uncle Qrow!” she yelled.

“No, Ruby!”

Their attacker smiled as Ruby approached them but was thrown into confusion when the air itself was suddenly torn open by a red gash. Ruby turned to move out of the way but tripped, landing near Qrow.

He gazed at the red hole. “Raven?” he whispered. Then they heard the distinct sounds of a motorbike.

“Out of the way Ruby!” Qrow pushed Ruby aside, diving just in time to avoid the yellow motorcycle that powered from the portal. Their assailant wasn’t so fortunate, as the motorcycle plowed into him, sending him flying. The bike skidded over, and the riders tumbled into the street.

Qrow stumbled to his feet, looking around for their attacker. Ruby picked herself up too.

“Are you okay?” asked Ruby.

“Yeah, I am, aura’s still intact. I should be asking you.”

“I just tripped,” she said.

“You were lucky, kiddo,” he said, with no hint of sarcasm. “I did warn you.”

“I know,” she said sheepishly.

“I know you mean well,” he said, ruffling her hair. “Ren, Nora, see any sign of him?”

“Not after that crash!” yelled Nora. “That was awesome! Who was that?!”

Ruby looked again at the bike, realising she recognised it. “Bumblebee?” she whispered. She looked up, towards the erstwhile passengers who were picking themselves up.

“Yang?!” she called out.

“Hey Sis, fancy finding you here!” Yang called out, waving back. Waving back with what had been a stump when Ruby had left.

“Yang!” Ruby called out in excitement, and sped over to her, embracing her sister. “I’m… I’m so sorry,” she said, with tears in her eyes. “I wanted to stay, to talk more, but we had to leave…”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Yang said, returning the hug with both arms, natural and artificial. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Ruby said.

Ruby could feel Qrow, Ren and Nora walk over.

“So, what happened here?” asked the other rider. At the sound of the voice, Ruby looked up to see the familiar features of her partner from Beacon. “Weiss!” she cried in excitement, and extended an arm towards her. Yang did the same, and Weiss joined her teammates in the hug. As she did, Ruby felt a great sense of warmth. Warmth not just being reunited with family and friends, but of something being mended. The fall of Beacon had shattered her team, bringing with it a sense of loss and even of failure as team leader she could barely admit to herself. But now things were being made right. Was it too much to hope that the fourth member of their team would join them soon, that team RWBY could be whole again?

“So, what did we miss?” asked Yang, as they broke from the hug.

“Well you just interrupted a kidnapping attempt,” Qrow said, a faint smile on his face. He approached, placing an affectionate hand on Yang’s shoulder “It’s good to see you, firecracker. You couldn’t have timed it better.”

“Thanks Uncle Qrow,” Yang laughed. “It’s a long story.”

“Well you can tell it to us when we get back to the lodgings,” Qrow said. “I’m sure we’ve got a lot to speak about.

“Yeah…” Yang’s voice became a little more distant. “A _lot_ to speak about.”

####  _A Restaurant in Lower Mistral_

Lil’ Miss Malachite sat at her usual table, waiting for business. Until business found her.

One of her employees came over and whispered in her ear. She glanced at him, puzzled by the message, and arose from her table and made her way to the back rooms. She made her way to the room her employee had indicated and opened the door.

Her unexpected guest was waiting for her.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the ‘Red Huntress’ herself!” she said, entering the room.

“Miss Malachite,” the girl replied politely with a nod. She was seated on a crate, and wore a long scarlet cloak, beneath which the bronze and black of her armour could be seen. Her face was covered with a bronzed helm, so that only her clear green eyes appeared.

It was part of the puzzle, Lil’s Miss realised. The girl was always so damn _polite_ , despite her by now terrifying body count. _What made her tick?_

Not the only puzzle tonight, however.

“How did you get in here,” she asked. “That window’s locked.”

“So it is,” replied the girl. Some semblance trickery, Lil’ Miss wagered. “I thought it perhaps best to avoid the front entrance dressed like this?”

“You’re not wrong,” admitted Lil’ Miss. She drew up another crate and sat on it. “Your activities have caused some heat for my organization.”

“No more than you expected,” replied the girl. “We discussed this. With the casualties the Fang has taken, there’s less and less they can do to you. And I’ve been doing exactly what I promised I would do. I’ve always been honest with you.”

“You have,” Lil’ Miss nodded. “It’s one of the things I like about you. So, I happen to know you’ve not exhausted that little target list I drew up for you, so what can I do for you?”

The girl paused, looked away for a moment, before looking back at her with her emerald eyes.

“Someone will be coming for me. Someone by the name of Cinder Fall. She will be looking for me, drawn by… recent events, and one of your business interests is providing intelligence to interested parties. She may come to you.”

“I like to call myself an information broker, it sounds more legitimate,” Lil’ Miss said. “So, are you wanting me to lie for you? I wouldn’t want to sell you out, but misinformation will cost you, it’s risky to my reputation.”

The girl pulled some Lien from beneath her cloak.

“I’m willing to pay, but I don’t want you to lie.”

“Oh?”

“I want you to tell her exactly where I’ll be, and when.”

“This could backfire on me,” Lil’ Miss said.

“I promise you, I’m not asking you to tell her anything other than what will be true. If she comes to you, tell her that I came to you for information. Tell her that I will be attacking a certain White Fang hideout the night following her visit. And have someone contact me afterwards and I guarantee I will be there on the given night.”

“Well okay,” said Lil’ Miss a little doubtfully, “if that’s the way you want to play it. So which hideout?”

“The one based in the former Chalyps Engineering site.”

“The old steel machining plant?” asked Lil’ Miss.

“That’s the one,” replied the girl. “Leave that little detail out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Raven scenes here run similarly to canon, although with some important differences and from Raven’s point of view. Most of those involved have been little affected by the plot divergences as yet, but these scenes were necessary to reintroduce Raven and introduce Yang and Weiss to the story of ‘Fallen Maiden’. Raven, as I have come to realise, is probably the figure with the biggest role in driving events in canon volume 5, alongside Cinder. Here, of course, there’s a third party also pushing events, and it’s perhaps appropriate all three are Maidens or half Maidens. These introductions set up some crucial events to come.
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and so on. The next chapter should hopefully pack a few punches, so stay tuned for Chapter 12: A Maiden’s Vengeance sometime in the coming week.


	13. Chapter Twelve: A Maiden's Vengeance

####  _White Fang Headquarters, Near Mistral_

Adam Taurus knelt before Sienna Khan but kept his gaze squarely on her. She looked down at him from her throne, fingers tapping on the arm rest. Four guards stood beside her, two either side, but were as motionless as statues.

“Well, Adam? I’m waiting. _Beacon_. _Explain_ it to me.”

“It is as I reported earlier, High Leader Khan. By striking the Vytal festival and destroying Beacon academy, we’ve shown Remnant our strength. The humans now fear us more than ever. The kingdom of Vale is paralyzed. And we can accomplish the same here in Mistral, by destroying Haven Academy.”

“And what makes you think I even _want_ that?” It was as Adam feared. Sienna Khan had been a great leader, once, but was now too timid to see what needed to be done.

“Why would you not, High Leader?” he replied. “I’ve struck our oppressors a blow they cannot recover from. You are the one who taught us that we need to use force to gain our rightful place.”

“Force, yes, even violence,” Sienna Khan said. “But only when _necessary_. When we needed to show humanity that they could not push us down without us pushing back! But what you’ve done has crossed a line: the huntsmen academies train people to protect human and Faunus alike from the Grimm. And you unleashed Grimm in the city of Vale! By doing so, you’ve painted us as the enemies of all ensouled life. By destroying the CCT tower, you’ve shattered global communications, making us the enemy of all Remnant. Vale, Atlas, Vacuo: all are discussing _open war_ against the White Fang. You’ve justified humanity’s campaign against us.”

“Our enemies are divided, High Leader. They can accomplish little.”

“Then explain this business in Mistral,” asked the High Leader.

“High Leader?” The sudden diversion caught Adam off guard.

“These attacks in Mistral. It doesn’t take much to work out why your cells were targeted first, Adam. It’s blowback from Vale. And it’s severely damaged our organization in the city of Mistral too, enough to risk hamstringing _your_ proposed operation against Haven academy.”

“These attacks are but the work of one solitary, although powerful, individual, High Leader,” Adam said. “They are no sign of any strength in humanity.”

“Then why haven’t you resolved it yet? That is _why_ we delayed our meeting, after all. For you to go to Mistral and fix this.”

How petty. Did she seek to strike at his competence? As if that would accomplish anything. The White Fang could increasingly see who amongst their leaders was prepared to act. They were about to choose accordingly.

“The situation is well in hand, High Leader” he answered. “I have some specialists on the case now who will remove this problem very shortly.” As indeed they would. Adam despised Cinder, but he couldn’t deny her power and skill.

“It wouldn’t be a problem were it not that the fall of Beacon has made us a target!” Sienna insisted. She glared at Adam, but he met her gaze without flinching. Her fingers tapped against the arm of her throne once more. “And then there is the matter of these human allies of yours,” she said at last. “We know little of them, or their true goals. Working with them is short-sighted.”

“If you have any questions,” Adam answered, “perhaps you should speak with one of them yourself?” He stood and turned towards the throne room’s entrance. “Hazel!” he called.

The doors opened, to reveal a giant of a man, eight feet tall and with a build to match.

“Took you long enough,” he said. Hazel Rainart began walking steadily from the door towards the throne.

Sienna’s guards sprang to life, aiming their spears at the intruder, while Sienna rose to her feet.

“What is the meaning of this?!” she cried.

“Apologies,” Hazel said. “I don’t aim to cause any trouble.”

“You brought a human _here_?” Sienna asked Adam.

“You should hear what he has to say,” said Adam.

“This could be construed as _treason_ , Adam,”

“Ma’am, please,” Hazel spoke with a rumble. He dropped to one knee. “No one need die today. I’m just asking for a moment of your time.”

“With each passing moment, the less and less a chance you have of remaining alive,” Sienna said.

“I’ll take those chances, if you don’t mind,” he replied.

Sienna sat down and gestured for her guards to return to their posts. “Well?” she asked, looking at both Adam and Hazel.

“You don’t like me,” Hazel said. “You have no reason to like me. But you don’t have to like me for us to work together, to get the results you want.”

“And what is it that I want?” Sienna asked. “Because I’m not sure Adam comprehends what I want. I want the Faunus to be strong, I want humanity to fear us, so that they give us respect. What I don’t want is to help the Grimm eat us all, nor to start a war with the humans that we _cannot_ win!”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Adam said. Sienna’s eyes locked upon him as he began walking forward, and he could feel Hazel’s gaze also. “We _can_ win a war against the humans. Not just because we have the support of Hazel’s mistress, but because we are the _superior_ species on this planet! The Faunus are better than humans; we are everything they are and more. Humanity shouldn’t just fear the Faunus or respect us. They should _serve_ us!”

“Adam…” Sienna said, shaking her head. “Is _this_ what you’re after?”

Adam kept his eyes on her. His hand drifted to his belt.

“I’ve had enough of this conversation for tonight,” the High Leader said. “Guards, take them away.”

Adam flicked the switch on the concealed transmitter. The guards remained where they were.

Sienna turned to them. “I said, take them away!”

The entrance behind him was flung open, as armed White Fang soldiers entered the throne room. From the pillars either side two more groups appeared and levelled their guns. Sienna stood, only to see her own guards aim their spears at her.

“You were the leader we needed, Sienna, once upon a time. And your contributions will not be forgotten. But you lack the vision to see what is truly needed now. My followers from Vale could, and so do many here in Mistral, which is why they see me as the _true_ High Leader.”

“What are you doing?” Hazel demanded.

“What’s right for the Faunus. From now on, I will lead the White Fang.”

Sienna’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Adam. Adam moved his hand towards Wilt, preparing for the final step whatever her last words.

“Very well, Adam,” she said to his surprise, causing a moment’s confusion. And then she glanced at her guards. “NOW!” she screamed.

The spears of her guard turned towards Adam and fired.

Sienna did not hesitate as gunshots rang throughout the throne room, sending Cerberus – her chain whip – towards Adam’s arm as his aura flashed under the first shots. He attempted to draw Wilt, but Sienna activated one of the Dust blades, triggering the ice Dust within and freezing his hand to the hilt.

He roared in anger and charged forwards, but Sienna’s semblance, Grudge, had now kicked in. As Adam’s aura weakened, she became stronger, faster, more brutal. She ducked out of his way and flicked Cerberus out again, coiling around Adam’s leg and pulling. His head slammed down into her throne, while her guards continued their fusillade.

Adam twisted around, and the ice around his hand shattered as he used Blush to shoot Wilt from its hilt. He jumped up to his feet and reached out for his blade as it flew into the air. Sienna knew she could not afford to let him get hold of that blade. With a twist of her wrist she curled the end of Cerberus around his wrist and then she yanked hard. She pulled Adam past her and let the chain whip release him, sending him sprawling down the steps leading to the throne.

She turned to see him pulling himself to his feet, his aura still flickering as her guard poured fire into him. Cerberus flicked out again, striking his head and then his torso. He dashed forwards, closing the distance. In response, she sent Cerberus coiling around his neck and leapt over him. His onward rush pulled the chain taut, and then with all the strength her semblance gifted her she pulled, throwing Adam overhead. Cerberus uncoiled and he flew, slamming into one of the pillars. His aura shattered, and he slid down the pillar to fall heavily on the floor.

Her guard caught up to her, standing beside her and taking aim at the man on the floor. She took the moment to glance at the rest of the hall. The other groups, as planned, had likewise incapacitated or even killed Adam’s supporters in their midst, in many cases shooting them in the back the moment she gave the signal. Adam’s associate – Hazel she believed Adam had called the big man – had strangely remained where he was, although his look of vigilance gave no indication of being intimidated. He gazed at her, waiting to see what she would do. A problem to deal with in a moment.

She turned her attention to Adam, who’d pulled himself up to sit against the pillar.

“A cheap shot,” he said.

“You were planning the same for me,” she replied. “I couldn’t afford to lose.”

“You know I’d win in a real fight,”

He doubtless would. It’s why she’d been grooming him as her right-hand man, even before she assumed leadership of the Fang. She saw and respected his strength, his commitment to the cause. She’d almost seen too late how she’d fed all his worst tendencies, nurtured hatred without restraint bound to impossible ambition, turning him into a fire that’d burn all that came within reach.

“You’ve always been strong, Adam, of that I have no doubt. But you’re unthinking. And in your blind rage you’d destroy me, then the Fang, and friend and foe alike before you got round to yourself.”

“How?” he asked. “How did you know?”

“Know you were conspiring against me?” she replied. When he nodded, she continued. “This business in Mistral concerned me from the first. It looked like just the sort of blowback I feared. Yet what I learned was even worse.

“Do you think I’m blind? Deaf? That I don’t have people of my own in Mistral prepared to tell me what they’d learned? And what do I hear? Fallout from Vale was bad enough, another reason it should not have been done, but to learn that the White Fang isn’t even the primary target?! I learn that your actions have led us to being caught in the crossfire between two sets of _human_ opponents, that they’ve have created whole new enemies who only want to kill us to get to _them_!” she said, gesturing towards Hazel.

“It… was worth it,” Adam grunted. “Our victory at Beacon…”

“Is not a victory at all, not for _us_!” Sienna yelled. “The reputation of the White Fang is lower than the dirt, we have enemies lining up to take a shot at us – or _through_ us – while back in Menagerie we have the Belladonnas breathing down our necks! Though I suppose you’re hardly the most rational on that front; it was easy enough to recognise young Blake in the Vytal tournament broadcasts.”

“None of that explains how you knew,” Adam said with a scowl.

“I guess not,” Sienna said more coolly. “I could have forgiven all that. Despite the price it would carry, I would not have turned you away. You’d have been censured, but your previous dedication and usefulness would not have been forgotten.” She paused. “But then I learned of your _reaction_ to finding out the truth about our assailant in Mistral. You didn’t contact me. You contacted _them_.”

She turned, looking at Hazel.

“Ma’am,” he said in a deep voice. “I know nothing of what was planned here tonight. But if I could just speak?”

“I’ll speak to you in a moment,” she said with narrowed eyes. “Perhaps you indeed know nothing, but Adam does. Prior to that point, Adam, I doubted your foresight. But I’d never questioned your _loyalty_ before. But your… attachment to this concerning group of humans caused me to look a little further into things. And what do I find?

“My own _bodyguard_ were compromised!” she said, jaw clenched with anger. “This headquarters, who knows where else?! You had a plan in place to deal with me _personally_ , had even prepared a fake story for my own _murder_! Do you know how much damage you’ve already done, how many here I’ve already been forced to _remove_?! You’ve hurt us far more than the Atlesians or SDC have!”

“You may think you’ve won, Sienna, but I still have many supporters!” Adam said. “Faunus who see as I do, who realise you’re too weak, too tame, to do what is necessary!”

“Tame?!” Sienna spat. “We’ll see about that. It’s certainly true you’ve had your share of supporters. Cutting out this cancer has not been without casualties.” She looked at the corpses dotted around the throne room. “We’ve hopefully flushed out the last of your partisans here, but I know you have many elsewhere we’ll have to deal with. But maybe not as many as you think. After all, victory is one thing, blowback another, especially when it’s many of _your_ supporters who’ve been doing the dying. Spreading the story on how you ran, and how you’ve been working for a human terrorist organisation should do the rest.”

“They won’t believe you,” Adam said. “You’ve betrayed our cause!”

“ _I’ve_ betrayed?!” Sienna was incensed. “How did I miss how delusional you’ve become? How did we come so close to disaster? You’ve hurt the Fang, tried to kill me, and worst of all you’ve forced our hand, and it is that which vexes me the most. I am now compelled to take steps I would have done almost anything to avoid so that I can save our cause and fix this mess which you’ve made.”

She looked away for a moment in thought, before looking back.

“I don’t suppose you’re going to make things easy for us, and name some co-conspirators? The Albain brothers, perhaps?”

Adam glowered in response. He remained that way for a second, and then surged up from his seated position. Sienna’s guards brought their spears to bear but were not quick enough: Cerberus lashed out quicker. Sienna sent one of its Dust blades into Adam’s chest, and then activated the fire Dust within.

His body dropped back down.

“Save the head,” Sienna commanded. “It’ll be useful.”

“High Leader,” one of the nearby soldiers said. “Shouldn’t we… respect his body? Whatever he’s done, he once was a hero of the White Fang.”

“He _was_. Then he became a fool, and then a traitor. He will be more useful to us dead than alive. The gift of his head may buy off some enmity, as will a _complete_ disavowal of his actions. The White Fang did _not_ attack Beacon; he did,” she said, with a nod at the corpse.

“Many will dislike that,” said one of her guards.

“I know,” she replied. “Thankfully we’ve dealt with your predecessors, but there will be others. But the survival of the White Fang and our ability to defend the Faunus depend upon this.”

She turned to see Hazel still in position.

“You’re still here?” Sienna asked.

“I am, Ma’am,” he replied. “I still want a moment of your time.”

“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that,” she said.

“We had no part in this,” he said.

“Now that’s not entirely true,” she said. “At the very least it is your organization that emboldened him. I doubt he’d have struck at a huntsman academy without someone speaking in his ear. Do you deny that you want our help attacking Haven?”

Hazel remained silent.

“As I thought,” Sienna mused.

“It could be beneficial to your cause. My mistress can be a powerful ally.”

“A powerful ally with strings attached. You already made Adam dance to your tune. You will not do the same with me.”

“We are not your enemy,” Hazel said.

“You’ll understand if I don’t take that on trust at the moment,” Sienna replied. “If you are truly a potential ally, then you won’t mind staying as a _guest_ while we clear things up.”

“I can’t do that,” he said.

“I wasn’t planning on offering you the choice.”

The White Fang in the room all aimed their weapons at the man.

He grunted. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

“It does. I _insist_.”

“So be it.” The big man dropped his head and appeared to acquiesce as White Fang soldiers approached him to take him away.

Then he leapt into action, reaching out and grabbing the staff of an approaching spear. With a tug, he ripped it from the guard’s hands and then he swang the weapon like a club, knocking the approaching soldiers to the ground. Others opened fire, but he shrugged off the gun fire as if it were nothing more than pinpricks and began bowling forward, towards Sienna.

“Protect the High Leader!” one of her guards cried, and they formed a line in front of her. Hazel ran towards the line and with an outstretched arm like a tree trunk, the giant grabbed the head of one of the guards and threw him against the pillar behind them. Other soldiers converged on them, but with a backwards sweep of the stolen spear, Hazel cleared the space behind him. Sienna sent Cerberus at his free arm, but he caught the end with his hand and tugged it, forcing Sienna to let go lest she be pulled with it.

More of the White Fang in the room had run over to their position and placed themselves between the rampaging human and Sienna Khan, but that appeared to be what the man was looking for. Twisting, he pivoted away. He let go of the spear and with his other hand punched a soldier in his way, smashing him to the ground. His way clear, he ran between the pillars, ignoring the hail of bullets, and ran and broke through the side door, escaping the throne room.

“High Leader, are you…?” asked one of the soldiers, as one of the others raised the alarm via radio.

“I’m fine, get after him!” Sienna ordered. Most of the soldiers gave chase, some leaving through the side door, others through the main entrance, leaving Sienna with her guard and a few remaining subordinates.

“High Leader,” began one, “he might get away.”

“He does seem hard to stop,” she said. She closed her eyes for a moment, before reopening them. “Prepare to evacuate this site, grab everything useful and destroy the rest. Even if we manage to catch him, Adam may have told others in his organization of this location. We’re compromised.”

“Yes, High Leader,” he saluted, turning to carry out her orders.

She spoke to one of her guards. “Have an airship prepared for my own departure. A long range flight.”

“Of course, High Leader. Where to?”

Sienna sighed. Time for one of those unpleasant choices, one of those which Adam had forced upon her. “To Menagerie. It’s time to speak to the Belladonnas.”

####  _Lodgings in Mistral_

The kids had enjoyed a warm reunion over a meal, reliving their Beacon days and telling each other about their adventures since. It’d been good to see their smiles and laughter, but like many good things it came to an end. Qrow had left them seated in the living room as Oscar the boy transformed once more into Ozpin the headmaster, and spoke to them of Salem, the Maidens, and the Relics.

He returned after making a Scroll call.

“Any luck?” asked Ruby Rose as he came in.

“Well, Leo’s not sure why the police were so distant from the area, made some excuse about patrols being thin in the lower levels, especially with this White Fang business. And I told him Salem has an agent in the city itself.”

“And is he going to _do_ anything?” asked Weiss.

“He took a description, said he’d get the police onto it. Otherwise, he’ll do everything, short of actual help,” quipped Qrow.

“So, Lionheart’s totally sus, right?” said Nora Valkyrie.

Ozpin, the wizard in the boy, winced. “I don’t want to make any assumptions,” he said. “Leonardo has been a loyal ally for many years. But I can’t explain his inaction now.” He closed his eyes for a few moments before reopening them. “Before we move on to any other matters: Miss Schnee, Miss Xiao Long, any questions about what I’ve told you?”

“So, it’s all true?” asked Weiss. “Magic, the Maidens, Salem, you, all of it?”

“Yeah, it’s all true,” Qrow nodded.

“Miss Xiao Long, does this cover what your mother told you?” asked Ozpin.

“More or less,” Yang replied. “She didn’t mention the Maidens, but she said you couldn’t stay dead. And she told us about Salem. Even said she’d crossed blades with you, Uncle Qrow.”

“Did she mention she was attacking a village at the time?” Qrow grumbled.

“No, although that sounds about right.” Yang let out a painful sigh. “That was Shion, right?” she asked the others.

“Yep. I think I took a few pot-shots at your Mom, Yang,” Ruby giggled.

“Love you too, Sis,” said Yang with a smile. Her smile then dropped as she looked at Qrow. “Though she also showed us what Ozpin did to the both of you.”

“Oh,” Qrow said.

“What did he do?” asked Ruby.

“Gave them the ability to turn into birds,” said Yang.

“Birds?!” Nora turned towards Ozpin. “Okay, now you’re messing with us, right?”

“It’s true,” Weiss said. “We saw it.”

“It is true,” Ozpin confirmed. “Along with being able to reincarnate, I possess a certain amount of magical power, although it is now greatly diminished. I gave much of it to four young women – the very first Maidens – who I hoped would use that power for good. More recently, I gave some of the little I have remaining to Raven and Qrow as a gift.”

“A gift?” Yang asked with an edge in her voice.

“Relax firecracker, we made a choice,” Qrow said.

“But, like, is it a curse?” asked Ruby with concern.

“No,” Qrow said. “It feels a little weird, but it’s useful. It’s how I got to you so fast. And we can transform back and forth whenever we want.”

“That does sound strictly beneficial,” said Ruby, reassured.

Yang visibly relaxed. “Okay, that doesn’t sound so bad,” she conceded. “So all this is why you all upped and left to chase after Pyrrha, then?”

“Well, we’d have gone after her anyway,” Nora said, Lie Ren nodding. “But I’m sure that’s why Qrow came!” Qrow smiled faintly and rolled his eyes.

“It’s hard to believe she’s doing what you think she’s doing,” said Yang. “I mean, she was always so _nice_ , unless you were in the ring with her. She was always apologising, and far too shy to make a move on Vomit Boy…” she trailed off as she saw the expressions on Ruby and Nora’s faces. “Okay, too soon….” she apologised. School nicknames had made a comeback during dinner, but that one evidently might take a little longer.

“It _does_ seem strange,” Weiss said, curious. “If she knew all this, why would she strike out on her own?”

“Because she _doesn’t_ ,” Nora said with a glare at Qrow and Ozpin.

“Wait, what?” Yang said, confused.

“She knows about the Maidens – well some of it – but not about the Relics or Salem,” Qrow answered reluctantly.

“Why wouldn’t she know? Didn’t you _tell_ her?” Yang pressed, voice tense once more.

“We thought we had more time!” Qrow answered hotly. “The whole situation was messed up, and we didn’t know what that damn procedure would do to her!”

Silence filled the room as every eye turned upon Qrow. Even Ozpin was staring at him, although Qrow was aware that was for very different reasons.

“Procedure?” Yang said, glancing at Ren and Nora.

“We don’t know anything about this,” Ren said. Their eyes all returned to Qrow.

“ _What_ procedure?” asked Yang coldly, looking at Qrow and Ozpin. “What do you mean?”

Qrow could feel Ozpin’s gaze most of all. And yet these kids were on the front line against Salem, years earlier than they should have been, if they were ever meant to have been at all. He trusted Oz, but they deserved to know what happened to their friend.

He’d have liked to have known what happened to Summer.

“She… there was a risk it might _change_ her,” he said hesitantly. “With Nikos, we didn’t do things the usual way. Amber was comatose, half the power had been ripped out of her! Nothing like that had ever happened before! So, we used a machine… to transfer Amber’s remaining Aura and place it within Nikos. We weren’t sure if she’d remain… herself.”

Silence again filled the room. Ozpin kept his gaze on Qrow, but the trainees broke away, aghast. Nora seemed on the verge of tears.

“That’s _monstrous_!” Yang roared, eyes red and hair aflame as her semblance kicked in. “Did she _know_?”

“She agreed,” Ozpin said. “We told her of the risk.”

“How do you agree to something like that?” Yang asked in horror. “What did you tell her?”

“The truth,” Ozpin replied.

“I think we’ve established that you didn’t tell her nearly half of it!” Yang shouted.

“We told her of the maidens themselves,” Qrow said. “And the danger the world would be in if that power was stolen.”

“Well of course she agreed!” Yang said sarcastically. “You didn’t really give her a choice! ‘Do this or the world is at stake!’” She shook her head. “Tell me Uncle Qrow, would you ask me to do this?”

“No!” he blurted out instinctively.

“Then why did you ask it of _her_?!” she yelled, eyes ablaze.

Qrow didn’t know what to say to that. Truth be told, he’d been avoiding thinking about it.

“If that had happened…” Nora trailed off softly. “Would she be gone, worse than dead?”

“And if we’d met her, if _Jaune_ had met her, and she’d been _replaced_ inside by something else… what would that even do?” said Weiss.

“We thought… we _hoped_ it was a small risk,” Ozpin said. “I know a little something about shared lives. And it was Miss Nikos we wanted, that we trusted as the guardian, not… something else.”

“ _Gods_ ,” said Yang, her eyes returning to lilac. “Why did you even keep her in the tournament? She must have been stressed out of her mind!”

“She was!” Nora cried with realisation. “We thought it was just the tournament, tried to cheer her up, Jaune tried to talk to her…”

“What are you saying?” asked Ruby.

“That what happened to Penny might not just be Emerald's fault!” Yang said, eyes turning red once more.

Ruby’s expression fell.

“As I told you, Miss Rose,” Ozpin said. “I’ve made many mistakes. This… this may be one of them.”

“I’ll say!” said Yang.

Ozpin continued. “We were desperate, we didn’t feel there was much choice. We didn’t know what was going to happen to Beacon, although we should have. Thankfully Miss Nikos appeared to have survived the procedure intact.”

“Did she though?” asked Weiss. “Is she still _her_? Launching these attacks, like you think? Killing all these people if that’s true? That’s a big change from the nicest girl in school.”

“She may have changed,” Qrow replied, “but I don’t think it’s what we did to her.”

“But you didn’t know her,” Weiss pointed out.

“I didn’t,” Qrow admitted. “But I recognise grief. And anger. I’ve seen what those do to people. From what I understand,” he gestured towards Ren and Nora, “she and Arc were close, and I figure that night they got a little closer. Grief… grief changes a person.”

Yang looked down and looked down at her cybernetic arm. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she said, as her robotic fingers flexed.

“She’s still Pyrrha,” Nora insisted. “I could tell when we spoke at Ruby’s. But she took Jaune’s death very hard, harder than we even did, and she blamed herself. And Cinder, of course.”

The group fell into a contemplative silence.

“So, what do we do?” asked Ruby.

“Well firstly, you all have a choice,” Ozpin said. “Now you know more of what’s going on, you have to choose. To stay, and see this through, or to go. If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time to do so.”

“We’re here for Pyrrha,” replied Ren.

“We can’t leave her to face things alone,” added Nora.

“Stopping Salem is still the right thing to do,” Ruby said. “I’m in.” After a second, Weiss nodded too.

Yang stood up and paced for a few steps. “I trust Ruby’s judgment,” she said, turning towards Ozpin. “And if she’s sticking around, so will I. But if we’re risking our lives, things need to be different. No more manipulation, no more lies, no more half-truths. No playing with souls, Brothers forbid. My Mom… she claimed you spend lives like water. Don’t do that.”

Qrow glanced at Ozpin, to see him glance back for a moment. Ozpin looked back towards Yang and paused in thought. Eventually he nodded.

“Understood,” he said.

“I’ll hold you to that,” Yang said, sitting down again.

“So now what?” asked Nora.

“Well, I’m sure Qrow will continue to pursue leads into Miss Nikos’ location,” replied Ozpin. “And we can continue to train. Miss Rose, in view of your run in with this agent of Salem’s, it may be best that avoid wandering too far at present.”

“I suppose,” said Ruby.

“As for the rest, perhaps that’s a question we can best address tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” asked Nora “But there’s so much to do! We’ve got to find Pyrrha, protect the Relic, all the rest of it.”

“Indeed, we do,” replied Ozpin. “But incautious haste may damage our cause as much as delay. While I’m sure Salem will mean to strike before classes resume at Haven, we still have a window before that happens. And considering the hardships that doubtless lie ahead, perhaps you should all enjoy a moment of peace. It’s been a long while since you’ve been able to spend time together, so take tonight, and we’ll look at things with a fresh head tomorrow.”

With that the meeting broke up, Ozpin leaving with Qrow in tow. As they left Qrow could overhear Nora Valkyrie.

“Oh, I get it: _Qrow_ and _Raven_. They’re totally birds!”

He couldn’t help a snort as the door closed behind them. Ozpin turned to look at him, an unspoken question on his face.

“I know you don’t approve, Oz, but I know what it’s like,” Qrow said. “Tell me, if you knew what happened to Summer, you would have told me, right?”

“I like to think so,” Ozpin said, before breaking eye contact. He looked down at his feet for a moment, before looking back up. “Qrow, you understand as I do that sometimes we need to play our cards close to our chest, like with Leonardo right now. I do _try_ not to do that more than we need to.”

His eyes flashed, and the gaze of the headmaster changed once more into the worried expression of the farm boy.

“That you, Oscar?” Qrow said, more to reassure Oscar than to confirm it for himself.

“Yeah, it’s me,” the boy said. “The… the things that were discussed tonight…”

“A lot to take in?”

“Yeah,” he replied. He bit his lip, looking especially pensive.

“What’s up?” asked Qrow.

“This business with this girl Pyrrha… about how you were worried this machine might change her?”

“Yeah, I’m not proud of it, kid. Thankfully that doesn’t seem to be the problem.”

“Not for her, perhaps,” Oscar said. “But what about… I mean…someone being changed because of someone else inside them… some other soul…” he stammered.

Oh.

Qrow took hold of Oscar’s shoulder.

“You’re asking about yourself?”

“Yes,” he said faintly.

“I’m not the expert on that, kid. Have you discussed it with Oz much?”

“A bit. He’s tried to reassure me, saying we don’t work like that. I’m still worried though.”

“I don’t blame you. I’d be worried too. I’m sorry I don’t know what to say.”

“Thank you,” Oscar replied.

“I wish I could actually help. But I’d listen to Oz, he’s the only one who does know how this works. In the meantime, you’re still with us. And maybe you should take this night to try and relax too?” Qrow said, nodding back towards the living room.

“Thanks, Mister Branwen.”

“It’s Qrow. I don’t think anyone who knows me calls me ‘Mister Branwen’.”

“Thank you… Qrow. Good luck on looking for this girl.” Oscar nodded and went back into the living room.

Qrow took a moment to plan his next move. He certainly hoped to find Nikos before it was too late. But luck? Well, luck had never been on his side.

####  _The Camp of the Branwen Tribe_

There was a discipline in sharpening a sword. Properly done, it honed the mind as well as the blade.

Raven sat in her tent, sharpening Omen. She briefly wondered how Yang was doing, before she suppressed the thought. She’d made a choice, and it was up to her now. Hopefully she’d ask the right questions, but it was no longer in Raven’s hands.

Vernal pushed the tent flaps aside.

“Raven, we have… visitors.”

“Visitors?” she asked. “I don’t recall inviting anyone.”

“They invited themselves and asked to speak with you personally.”

Raven let out a huff and stood. She reached for her mask and placed it over her head. “Very well,” she said. “I only hope it’s not a waste of our time.”

She followed Vernal outside, to see two men standing before her. Both were lean men. The tallest was a middle-aged man dressed in a suit, with a distinguished moustache. The second was perhaps slightly younger and clean-shaven, with a long dark ponytail, a wicked smirk, and a brown leather overcoat.

From the way several of the tribesmen around them held themselves, it was clear they’d learned little from Yang’s visit.

“I don’t recall inviting guests,” she said. She looked at her men. “Did you lose your spines, or do you have another explanation?”

“Tyrian was a little rough with them,” the taller man interjected. He raised a hand placatingly. “There’s been no permanent damage. We simply want to talk.”

“And you are?”

“I’m Doctor Arthur Watts, and this is my associate, Tyrian Callows.”

“A disgraced Atlesian scientist, and someone who looks like a serial killer,” said Raven.

“An accurate summary,” Watts replied.

“Why bring a serial killer to my camp? Why are you here?” asked Raven.

“For the first,” Watts explained, “Tyrian’s expertise isn’t diplomacy, it’s true, but I’ve learned to have a professional regard for his many talents. For the second, we’re here on business from our employer. I believe who know who _she_ is.”

Raven stiffened. _Already?!_ She turned to the tribe. “Leave us!” she ordered. “Pack your things, break down the camp, and prepare to move!”

“It’s a little late to run now,” Watts said. “You’ve been on the Queen’s list for some time. However, we recently learned that you’ve come into possession of something quite valuable.”

She exchanged a glance with Vernal, making sure she was ready.

Watts caught the glance. “I wouldn’t do anything hasty if I were you. You might be able to kill us with the power at your disposal. But if you were to do so, I don’t need to tell you how things would change, and rapidly. Is it not better for us to have a chat?”

“How did you know?” she asked.

“A little birdie told us,” he said whimsically.

“Qrow?!” Raven said in disbelief. “He’s loyal to Ozpin, he wouldn’t tell you.”

“Of course not,” Watts answered. “But he would tell Lionheart. Unfortunately for Qrow, Lionheart belongs to _us_.”

Raven’s eyes bored into him from behind her mask. There was no indication that he was lying, although perhaps he was simply proficient at deceit. And yet they knew, and they knew that Qrow knew too. She’d warned Qrow that Ozpin would fail, that Beacon would fall. But a betrayal like this, one of the headmasters changing cloaks? Ozpin’s circle was completely compromised!

“I imagine this changes a few things,” Watts said. “Rest assured, we are here to negotiate provided you indeed have the Spring Maiden. But firstly, would you care to prove it?”

Raven turned to Vernal and nodded. “Go ahead, Vernal.”

As they’d planned for such occasions, Vernal closed her eyes and raised her hands. As she did so Raven drew deep within herself, allowing the powers of the Spring Maiden to manifest. With any sign of power in her eyes being safely hidden by her mask, she reached out with that power into the surrounding elements.

The wind picked up, gentle at first. Clouds formed in the clear sky, then began to spiral in to one dark mass as the atmosphere became black and heavy. Gusts began blowing, and then a single bolt of lightning struck, a peal of thunder on its heels.

Raven relaxed and allowed the power to subside again. Responding to the change, Vernal slowly lowered her hands, and opened her eyes as the winds dropped away.

“Vernal has done well under my guidance,” Raven said. “I’d consider that, before trying anything.”

“There’s no need,” Watts replied. “Vernal, eh? What is it with these Maidens and their themed names? But on to business. Defeating us is one thing, but you know you cannot defeat our Mistress. And yet she’s asked us to offer you a deal. It’s not the Maiden’s she’s ultimately after, after all. What she wants are the Relics. Come with us, allow Vernal here to unlock the way to the Relic of Knowledge, and with Lionheart’s cooperation we’ll get what we want and be on our way. All previous acts of defiance against Salem will be forgiven, and you and your tribe can continue on completely unmolested.”

Raven’s hand went to her hilt “I want no part in this war,” she growled.

“But you’re already part,” Watts said. “You chose to shelter a Maiden, and now both sides know. There’s no way to escape. But help us in this, and we’ll leave you in peace. All Salem needs is the Relic.”

Raven could feel it again, the same feeling that had been bubbling since she’d heard of the fall of Beacon, since she’d fought Qrow at Shion, since Weiss Schnee had dropped into their laps and since her own daughter had turned up, but not for her. That feeling of claustrophobia, of the walls closing in, of a fate that could not be escaped.

“I need time to think this over,” she insisted.

“You don’t have time,” Watts said. “The White Fang will soon destroy Haven Academy. You need to make your mind up now.”

“You’re trying to back me into a corner!” said Raven, fingers clenched around Omen’s hilt.

“You’ve always been in the corner,” Watts replied. “There is no getting away from this conflict. Sooner or later, you will have to choose. And that time is increasingly sooner.”

Raven needed time. She needed to figure out a way out. But she couldn’t. Salem wouldn’t accept a rebuff for long, and Qrow would doubtless tell more loyal allies than Lionheart at some point. She needed a solution but didn’t know of any.

Didn’t _know_ of any…

Could she? Did she dare? She already wielded the power of a Maiden, why not go one step further? If there was a way to escape this war, and keep her tribe out of it, the Relic of Knowledge could provide the solution.

But how to get it? She couldn’t take it from right under their noses, certainly not without them knowing. And only Lionheart would know where the Vault was. She needed to introduce an unstable element…

She removed her mask and adopted a more relaxed posture.

“I don’t trust you,” she said. “If I do this, I need more.”

“You’re not in a good position to negotiate, Raven,” Watts replied. “This is the best offer you are going to get.”

“Then get a better one. I want Qrow dead, too.”

Tyrian laughed at this. “Oh, I like you,” he said.

Watts himself seemed at a bit of a loss. “You want your _own brother_ dead?”

“If Qrow told Lionheart everything, then I’m sure he’s already told you we’ve already crossed blades,” Raven said. “And he knows I have Spring. You may have Lionheart in your pocket, but what if he gets word to Goodwitch or Ironwood? I’ll be drowning in Atlesian specialists, especially if I help you get the Relic. Get Lionheart to lure Qrow into an ambush. He arrives at Haven, we take him out, you get the Relic, and we all leave as agreed.”

“That rather risks our objective,” Watts replied. “As much as we’d rather like to see Qrow Branwen dead. he’s not going to go down without a fight, and he won’t fight _quietly_. Our key advantage here is that we can walk straight into Haven with no resistance and no one the wiser. Fighting your brother throws that away.”

“He’s good, I’ll admit,” said Raven. “But with your resources and Vernal and I? We’ll kill him in a heartbeat.”

“It is tempting,” Tyrian interjected, “and it would allow me to perform my own service to the Queen. But he’s not alone.”

“And if we leave that school a mess, we’ll draw the attention of the authorities and sabotage the White Fang’s attack!”

“That’s my deal, take it or leave it,” Raven insisted. “I’m sure you can rearrange some of the details. If you need to go away and discuss it with your Mistress, then do so.”

Watts gritted his teeth with some frustration. “I will, but you may regret your lack of cooperation.”

“I’m willing to cooperate,” Raven said, “but on mutually agreeable terms. Give me what I want – Qrow and for Salem to leave my people alone – and I’ll give your mistress what she wants. You need our help to do it. Are you really going to tell her you turned down any chance of our help?”

“I’ll… convey your offer,” Watts replied. “I can’t guarantee the response. How will we keep in touch? I can’t imagine your tribe is sticking around here.”

“Will tomorrow night be enough time for you to talk things over? I can be at Haven academy to hear your answer then. The headmaster’s office even. I know the way.”

“Very well,” Watts said with a sigh. He glanced at Tyrian, who shrugged. “We’ll be on our way. Tomorrow night, Raven. Or Salem will find you.”

They departed, passing through the now packing tribesmen. Raven let out a slight breath she did not realise she was holding.

“Are we really going to do it, Raven?” asked Vernal. “Kill your brother, help Salem?”

“We’re going to do whatever is necessary to survive,” replied Raven. “But we’ve managed to fool them in one regard, perhaps we can in something bigger. There’s something that might just be the tool we need to keep this tribe alive. We just need to mix things up a little…”

####  _Former Chalyps Engineering site, Mistral_

Miss Malachite had been prickly but had proven cooperative in the end once greased with enough money. While it was clear she did not know the identity of the so-called ‘Red Huntress’, she’d admitted to supplying the locations of White Fang targets and had gone one better: she’d told Cinder which target would be attacked tonight.

Which is why Cinder, Emerald and Mercury found themselves once more in a White Fang hideout. This one was based in a defunct factory, though one that seemed rather less defunct than it should have been.

“What _is_ all this?” Cinder demanded, gesturing at the aisles of machinery and production lines that occupied most of the hall.

“It was all left here when Chalyps went bust,” the White Fang commander said. Cinder was sure the dog Faunus had a name; she just didn’t care to use it. “We cleared some out when we occupied the site, but it’s a lot to shift. Besides, while it’s old, some of the tooling is useful. We don’t always have easy access to regular suppliers, understand?”

She understood, although she wasn’t really concerned. The White Fang were a tool; how they supplied and maintained their gear was their own business. What she did care about was the sheer amount of cover it provided to any intruder. Only one section of this hall had been cleared for the White Fang’s own stores, leaving the rest a dense maze of looming milling machines, assembly devices and other manufacturing equipment.

Still, she would make do. If Malachite had told the truth, Nikos would be here, and being here would aim for the stores and the White Fang around them. Like other such buildings, a variety of staff rooms and offices occupied the periphery of this building, but this was the primary target. Nikos would come here, and both she and Cinder would meet their destinies.

She glanced back at the surly commander. He’d been clearly shocked and surprised at the prospect of having to work with a group of humans. He’d clearly only went along with it because Adam had insisted so strongly, though he became much more cooperative when he learned why they’d come tonight.

“You really think you can take her?” he asked.

She almost laughed. How had that sobbing girl inspired so much fear in these insects? She controlled the impulse. A snort from Mercury suggested he had less restraint.

“Adam did vouch for us,” she pointed out. “In any case, once you have word of her, you and your men regroup here. Once she engages, you may then retreat from the building as we discussed.”

She couldn’t guarantee which entrance Nikos would us. What she could do is draw her to her preferred target. Once the White Fang had served that purpose, then they could clear out. They’d only get in the way, after all.

She could feel a rising sense of eagerness, of anticipation, within her. The hunger that gnawed at her soul would be sated, she knew it, when the power within her was reunited with its other half. And the blot of Beacon would be erased when she’d squelched that pest’s life.

Though she’d humiliate her first. Remind Nikos of her powerlessness and weakness, teach her the presumption of seeking Cinder out and claiming the title of Maiden. Then no one would be able to call her a failure. No one would be able to deny her power. She alone would be the Fall Maiden, and soon perhaps more.

“Mercury, Emerald, once we get word get into cover,” she said, nodding at the machinery. “Let Nikos make her way in before we spring the trap.”

“Will do, Cinder,” Emerald replied eagerly. Mercury contented himself with a nod.

There was a flurry of activity by the table the commander had set up: some minion was speaking to him now. She walked over towards him.

“Radio check is getting nothing from sentries 3 and 4,” the soldier was saying.

“That’s the breakroom and staff areas on the Western side,” the commander muttered to himself. He turned towards Cinder. “It looks like the Red Huntress is here.”

Pyrrha had eliminated several guards but had encountered no more as she made her way through the building. She hadn’t been completely quiet either. Which meant that either there truly were no more guards on this side of the building, or that the sounds she heard in the distance were of retreat.

The White Fang Pyrrha had come to know were nearly always aggressive, closing with a known intruder quickly. For them to act so differently… could it be? Had Cinder taken the bait? She’d shown up at Miss Malachite’s after all.

She made her way down the stairwell. Chalyps may have gone bust a while ago, but archives of their building layout had still been readily available. From what Miss Malachite informed her, and what she could tell from scouting from a distance, the White Fang hadn’t done much to change the place. Which meant the door at the bottom level should come out onto the factory floor, all view of it covered by machinery.

She eased the door open gently, straining to make little noise. She could hear the boots of White Fang soldiers within the hall, running here from elsewhere in the building. As hoped, line of sight to the door was blocked by the aisle of manufacturing stations in front of it. She slipped into the hall and began making her way slowly through the machines.

She could make out clearly now shouts ahead, the gathered White Fang regrouping at the far end of the hall. She kept out of line of sight as she ducked through the aisles, creeping closer. The White Fang were making no effort to hide their presence or close with her. It was clearly a trap, but where was Cinder?

Only one thing to do: walk right into it. Spring the trap.

Let Cinder find she was trapped in turn.

Pyrrha moved closer, catching sight of the White Fang. She raised Miló, shifting into rifle mode, and took aim. She took a breath.

She fired. One, twice, thrice.

She dashed forwards, as the White Fang shouted and returned fire. Some began to turn and run, but she caught one and smashed him aside with Akoúo. With no break of movement, she shifted Miló into its sword mode, and brought it stabbing down. She blocked more fire with Akoúo, ducked behind a station, and made her forward via another aisle. She saw more White Fang soldiers running away, leaving their cover and making for the opened shutters at the end.

“Now! Now!” she could hear one shout.

She rushed forward, reaching the end of the aisle as the last of the White Fang ran outside. As expected, the shutter came down.

She heard clapping, a smirking grey haired young man by the shutter controls. _Mercury Black_. From the other direction appeared a dark, green-haired woman with red eyes bearing a pair of revolvers. _Emerald Sustrai_. Which meant…

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the ‘Red Huntress’?” Cinder Fall appeared from behind one of the manufacturing stations. She was dressed in a long crimson dress, one sleeve covering her left arm entirely. One amber eye shone out, her other eye being hidden behind her dark locks. She’d changed, but the cruel smile remained the same. “Or should we not call you by your true name, Pyrrha Nikos? All Mistral salutes it, after all. Though perhaps their praise has gone to your head. I hear you’ve been looking for me. Well, here I am.”

They’d sprung their trap, time to pull them into hers. She threw Akoúo at Emerald, but before it even knocked into her, Pyrrha sent herself flying, using her semblance on machinery before her and her own armour to send herself over it. Akoúo hit Emerald, knocking her back, and then drawn back into Pyrrha’s hand before she fell behind the machinery, dropping out of their sight.

“After her!” she heard Cinder yell, as she ran back into the maze of looming metal. As she zigzagged through the aisles, she couldn’t but appreciate the delicious irony. She was doing to them as they’d planned for her: feign a retreat to draw them into a trap.

She ducked around one production line into a neighbouring one and caught movement to the side. She brought Akoúo up just in time to block a powerful kick from Mercury Black. One, twice more she had to parry Mercury’s attacks as he launched several more spinning kicks.

“I always wanted a proper rematch,” he smirked. “The boss wants at you, but since she gets what she wants even if I take you down…”

She remembered their abortive spar back at Beacon. In retrospect the brief fight must have been part of their intelligence gathering, a way of getting information they could use against her and the other students of Beacon. But she’d learned something about him in that fight too. Like the fact that he had metal legs.

And now she had no restraint.

He kicked out again at head height, but rather than blocking the attack she pulled on her semblance, applied it to both legs, and pushed _further_.

He screamed, as his hips were bent at angles no hips were meant to go

Retaining her magnetic hold on his legs, she smashed his body against one side of the aisle, then against the other. Shifting Miló into a Javelin, she struck out as she brought him swinging back round again. Yet he flew back, as he triggered blasts from his boots and sent himself flying down the aisle.

She made to pursue, but her aura flashed as it was struck by gunfire. She twisted, to see Emerald firing at her with both revolvers, and flung herself forward, Miló poised to strike. Emerald shifted her guns into twin scythes, but as she did so Pyrrha used her semblance to fling the weapons upward. Emerald kept her hold on her weapons, but in doing so left herself open to Pyrrha’s attack. She thrust out with Miló, striking Emerald in the centre, and then shifted it smoothly into a sword and slashed at her. Emerald stumbled back, still gripping her weapons. Pyrrha brought her shield forward, smashing into Emerald’s face, knocking her down. As she was thrown back, Emerald relinquished her hold on her weapons, which went flying.

Emerald lay on her back, eyes wide. Pyrrha rushed forward, Miló once more a javelin and thrust down. Emerald gasped out in shock.

Strange, Pyrrha hadn’t expected one of Cinder’s servants to go down so easily.

There was little time to think; Cinder would be closing in on her position. She turned ran back down the aisle.

Emerald lay still, somewhat in shock, as Nikos’ javelin was thrust down inches to her side. She’d rolled just in time, but that wouldn’t have been enough were it not for the illusion Emerald conjured with her semblance, making Nikos see her death.

Emerald could probably have weathered a few more strikes, but disarmed and prone was a bad situation to be in. And Nikos had changed, she could tell. Oh, she’d always been a superb fighter, they’d seen her spar and compete enough times to see that. There was a reason they’d identified her as a priority target in their plans against Beacon. But she’d changed nonetheless: Emerald had never seen Nikos fight to _kill_ before.

She did now.

Mercury had been overconfident; to be sure of success – to help Cinder – they needed to work together to take Nikos down, just like they had done to Amber. Mercury looked injured and would probably be of little help, but Cinder would still be standing. And Emerald would not let her down.

Nikos turned on her heel and ran off, convinced enough by Emerald’s illusion. Once out of sight, Emerald scrambled up. She looked around before finding her weapons, and after picking them up went to chase after Nikos. She wouldn’t let Cinder face her alone.

Cinder had heard Mercury’s scream, then the sound of Thief’s respite firing as she dashed towards the noise, hoping her disciples could hold Nikos in place long enough for Cinder to finish her off. Her heart was racing, excitement and impatience fusing with rush of combat. She ran through the production lines, her obsidian sword Midnight in her hand, desperate to find her prey.

Her prey nearly ran into her, as they turned into the same line of machinery. They paused, caught in each other’s glare.

“Well, you certainly seem to have developed more backbone,” Cinder smirked.

Nikos screamed, and sprinted towards her. She flung her shield out, but Cinder managed to duck out of the way. The shield returned to Nikos’ hand as she closed, Nikos then stabbing forward with her javelin. Cinder parried it with Midnight and slashed at Nikos in a counterattack. Nikos blocked the attack with her shield and shifted her weapon back into a sword.

“You know, if you’d fought like this that night, perhaps your little boyfriend would be alive?”

Nikos gave little response other to shove forward with her shield. Cinder pirouetted, twisting out of the way of the shield and bringing Midnight round in a slash at Nikos’ side. Nikos blocked the attack with her own sword.

“Though I doubt it,” Cinder said, determined to rile Nikos, both as a tactic and for pleasure.

Nikos responded with an unexpected headbutt, smashing her armoured head against Cinder’s face. Cinder reeled back, protected by her aura but still in pain. With a shriek of frustration, she dodged Nikos next attack, knocking her sword aside with her own, and punching with her left arm, her _Grimm_ arm.

Nikos dodged the claw, twisting so as to create some space between them.

“You’re not the only one to learn new tricks, Nikos,” Cinder taunted. “And your old ones don’t work on me. You can’t manipulate _this_ blade.”

“Perhaps not,” Nikos spoke, placing her shield on her back. “But you truly are self-centred, thinking only of yourself…”

Cinder scoffed. Did this simpering fool really imagine that could hurt her?

“…Not even paying attention to your surroundings.”

Cinder heard the rattle beside her, the screech of metal twisting. Sudden realisation struck home as she remembered the sight of Paladins being thrown around like rag dolls...

She dove forward, machinery smashing into the space behind her. She let Midnight fade as she conjured fire in her hand, drawing upon what Maiden powers she had. Yet it could not ward off the next blow, as another part of the production line struck her. It crashed into her, smacking her against the line on the other side. That too began to screech and shudder, as more tooling flew at her…

Emerald ran around the corner, following the noise, only to look on in horror as Cinder was struck again and again by machinery, ripped from the lines either side of her. Nikos stood, arm outraised stowed her weapon. Her sword hand went to her belt, where Emerald now noticed a different blade. Nikos slowly drew the sword.

It was now or never. If Nikos could use her semblance to harm Cinder, Emerald would use hers to save her. She thought of the most damaging image she could think of for Nikos, something that would punish her for daring to hurt Cinder. She raised her hand to her brow and focused, to project the chosen image into Nikos’ mind.

Nikos froze, and began trembling. The barrage against Cinder stopped.

“Now, Cinder!” Emerald cried. Cinder climbed to her feet.

Pyrrha had drawn Crocea Mors, prepared to strike down the human monster that plagued her dreams, when all appeared to change.

Instead of Cinder, _Jaune_ lay there, bruised and battered. “Pyrrha?” he asked faintly.

She couldn’t help but shudder for a moment. Her semblance cut out. Was he here? Had she hurt him? For a moment, just for a moment, she hesitated in the face of her lost love.

 _No!_ She realised. It was another hallucination, like that used on her when she fought Penny. They were using his image against her.

Perhaps that would have broken her, once. It could not do so now: she was already broken. They could break her no further.

Instead, rage consumed her. They’d dare?! They’d desecrate his memory to use as a weapon?! When they’d _murdered him?!_

She couldn’t trust her senses. Cinder would doubtless be getting ready to strike. But she was surrounded by metal. And this time, there were no innocent girls to get in the way.

She reached out with her semblance, her anger pouring out of her soul. She could _feel_ the metal around her respond as she pulled at it, juddering as they were pulled and twisted away from the fittings that kept them bolted to the floor.

“Pyrrha?!” the image continued to call out. Pyrrha ignored it and continued to ply her hatred and fury into her efforts. She dragged the metal around her up into the air and launched it into motion around her, faster and faster. The twisting machinery and tooling became a storm, a cyclone filled with metallic hail. Fuelled by her wrath, Pyrrha sent the storm outwards in an ever-widening circle.

Jaune’s image disappeared. Pyrrha heard Emerald cry out, the girl not dead at all but stumbling after being struck by part of a milling station. Cinder, a bow now in her inhuman arm, caught Emerald with her right.

“We have to leave here!” Cinder screamed. Pyrrha sent part of the storm flying at them, but with lightning reflexes Cinder drew her bow and sent an arrow at the largest mass. It exploded as the fire Dust combusted, sending debris in all directions.

Cinder and Emerald ducked back through the more intact aisles. Pyrrha advanced after them, flinging parts of the factory in their direction as they fled out of sight. She heard Emerald calling out for Mercury and a muffled response, and began to run after them. She heard an explosion ahead and charged towards the cleared section at the end of the hall. There she saw the three by a hole that had been blown through the shutter doors, Emerald supporting Mercury his shoulders. Seeing her, Cinder sent another arrow flying her way. Pyrrha ducked back into the aisle and sent some metal plating to intercept it. The arrow detonated on impact, sending a wash of heat towards her.

Pyrrha twisted around again, but Cinder had already made her way outside, leaving Emerald and Mercury to now stumble through the hole. To Pyrrha’s ire, Cinder had escaped the trap.

 _No!_ Pyrrha snarled mentally. _Her team don’t get to leave without casualties!_ She reached out with her semblance once more, to lay hold onto two more objects.

“Mercury!” Emerald cried out, as he was torn from her grasp. She stumbled backwards but was caught from behind by Cinder, who yanked her away.

Pulled by Pyrrha’s semblance, Mercury flew towards Pyrrha. She threw Crocea Mors to meet him.

He half gasped, half screamed. He began choking with a wet, bubbling cough, gasping for air, as she used her semblance to suspend him upside down in the air, transfixed by the blade.

She waited until the choking stilled, and then with a gesture pulled on Crocea Mors, causing it to fly back into her hand. She released the body, letting it drop lifeless on the ground, like a puppet with its wires cut. She gazed on the scene before with her emerald eyes as she stood amongst the ruin like a goddess of war, a bloody maiden.

There were sirens approaching, the sound of police growing nearer, perhaps alerted by some witness who heard the noise. Time to leave. She gave the corpse one last look and turned on her heel to leave. As she did so, scarlet drops – red as her hair, red as her sash – fell from the sword, marking the earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: This chapter was a bit of a beast, but parts of this chapter felt very cathartic. Incidentally, some portions of this chapter were some of the earliest parts of the story to be written after the prologue was posted, so it’s been great getting to them.
> 
> Semi-comedic addendum to Yang’s demand to Ozpin to not mess around with souls: “…although I feel I really shouldn’t need to say that.”
> 
> On a minor matter, I spent entirely too long perusing the spears of Sienna Khan’s bodyguards. Very few details about those spears have been given, but they have that gap running right down the centre of their blades and a bulky circular assembly at the base of the blade. That could be ornamental, but the gap could be there for dust rounds or something, which would make sense: they point them at Hazel when he’s across the room, and ranged attacks are prolific, so one would want one’s bodyguards well equipped and able to respond to that. Plus, this is RWBY: considering how many things are also a gun, I decided they probably were too.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: A Maiden's Plans

####  _Lodgings in Mistral_

Qrow came down early the morning to find Ren and Nora in the lounge, sat huddled together on a sofa. He was about to retreat and leave them be, until he heard a sob. He knocked softly on the door.

“You okay, kids?” he asked.

Both turned towards him. Ren’s feelings were hidden behind his impassive mask, but Nora – always more expressive – had tears running down her face.

“What’s wrong?” The… discussion a couple of days ago had covered quite a bit of territory, plenty of which had clearly been upsetting for the young Huntress. But what would be bothering her this morning?

“it’s silly,” she said.

“We’ve been over this,” he replied gently. “I’d like to help, and maybe I can. But no one can unless you tell someone.”

“It’s just…” she looked towards Ren, who nodded. “I mean, it’s nice to see Ruby back with Yang and Weiss again. They can be a team again, and maybe Blake will be back soon, and team RWBY will all be back together. But… with what Pyrrha’s going through, all she’s up against, can we get her back? And even if we do, Jaune’s _gone_. Team JNPR will never be whole again.”

“Ah,” he said. He slowly walked over and sat in one of the armchairs across from them. “I told you about my old team, right? Team STRQ?”

Ren nodded. “With Ruby and Yang’s parents?” he said.

“That’s right.”

“How did that even work?” asked Nora.

Qrow rolled his eyes. “Well, it’s not really my place to say, but it’s connected, I guess. When we lost Summer… that was a hard blow. Tai was shattered, it hurt Yang and Ruby, and I… I miss my friend and teammate. But it wasn’t losing Summer that broke team STRQ.”

His hand reached for his flask. He unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

“What did?” Ren asked. 

“Raven leaving. Like I told you in Shion, her going hurt us all, left a hole in our team that was never fixed. Summer decided to help Tai with Yang and, well, eventually that’s where Ruby came from, and I can’t begrudge that. But I also can’t help wondering whether we’d have lost Summer at all if Raven had still been around. But I don’t know that. What I do know is that it’s not the ones you lose that damage a team, as much as that wounds you, it’s the ones who leave.”

“But… didn’t Pyrrha leave us?” Nora asked in a quiet voice.

“I don’t think she left _you_ ,” Qrow said. “Certainly not in the same way as Raven. She didn’t go to get away from the both of you; she left to settle accounts for Arc. And I get that. If I knew who’d hurt Summer… I think I’d go pretty far. If we can get to her, I think you have a chance of getting her back. And then your team will be back together again, as much as it can be. And while you’ll miss Arc and that’ll hurt, you can always remember him, knowing he didn’t leave you.”

“Thanks, Qrow,” Nora said, a tear rolling down her cheek but a faint smile lighting her features. Ren silently nodded his thanks.

“No problem, anytime kids,” Qrow stood once more and stretched. “I’d better get going.”

“To find leads on Pyrrha?” asked Nora.

“Amongst other things. I have a way of getting places most can’t, after all,” he winked. “Also, to try and chase up some huntsmen. I haven’t had any luck with that.”

“We didn’t either,” Ren said. “Everyone we checked on our list was late, missing, or worse.”

“Yeah, it seemed a bit weird. I know we’re new at this and all, but shouldn’t there be some between missions?” Nora added.

Qrow thought over those he’d checked so far, with no greater luck than the kids. “It _is_ peculiar,” he admitted. “I’ve got a few old friends I plan on checking on today, and I was going to look in on the main mission board. I’ll see if things are any different there.”

####  _A Room in Mistral_

It was, Pyrrha reflected, another setback. While she was glad to have taken Mercury Black down, Cinder Fall had escaped. She’d now be forewarned, and Pyrrha doubted Cinder would underestimate her again.

She ran a cleaning cloth down Miló’s length again. Her weapons, like her mind, needed to be clear and uncluttered.

Continuing to pursue the White Fang was unlikely to offer the best lead. They’d offered some immediate targets for her wrath, but she’d eliminated the cells directly involved in the attack on Vale. Adam Taurus had yet to resurface, and furthermore Cinder was onto her, and waiting. She’d now be seeking an engagement on her terms, something Pyrrha knew she had to avoid. Cinder’s words hadn’t been wrong, after all: if any opponent was impervious to Pyrrha’s semblance, it was she. Now she’d been caught out, Pyrrha doubted Cinder would be kind enough to walk into a metal-filled environment again.

Still, it felt good to hurt her. To show her that her crimes would not be without a price. And if killing Mercury damaged her support structure, all the better.

She ran the cloth down the blade again.

What now? Cinder would be looking for her. The White Fang could be a quite literal dead end. Pyrrha needed some way to find Cinder before Cinder found her, and to face her on favourable ground. Cinder was too strong a combatant to risk facing on even or worse terms.

If she knew what Cinder’s plans were, she’d be better off, but she knew no better now than at the beginning. Qrow’s sources, whatever they were, pointed to Mistral and Haven, but Pyrrha had found nothing in her raids on the White Fang pointing to Cinder’s true connection here. For all she knew, Cinder principal concern in Mistral right now was to face her.

She’d been posing as a Haven student, had she not? Was that the connection? Lionheart was undoubtedly one of Ozpin’s circle, but Ozpin then hadn’t spotted Cinder either, had he? Or was Cinder planning to attack Haven as she had Beacon? But why would she? Cinder had attacked Beacon to get at the Fall Maiden’s power, but what reason would she have to go after Haven? She didn’t know enough, that was plain. But she knew her friends were in Mistral and had undoubtedly gone to Beacon. Had they discovered more?

For a moment she felt a longing to be reunited with them again. She missed both Ren and Nora, and Ruby too. It would be good to see them. And if Haven was in any danger, they could be at risk too. And perhaps they could help her…?

No. She couldn’t take the risk. The reasons she’d avoided Haven directly were still in place: if Lionheart was indeed part of Ozpin’s group, appearing there would be but a mere prelude to her being shoved back inside a gilded cage. Pyrrha would be unable to do little for her friends in that situation, and she’d come too far – come too close to her target – to stop now. And she’d risk endangering her friends as much as helping them. She did not want them to hinder her present course, but she also didn’t want it to risk them. She wouldn’t be able to forgive herself that.

Another possibility was Lil’ Miss Malachite. She’d proven useful: she’d not only provided the locations of the White Fang hideouts, but had cooperated with Pyrrha’s plan to lure Cinder in. But Pyrrha had to be careful. She didn’t want to get entangled with a crime lord any more than she had too. And ultimately, Miss Malachite’s foremost loyalty would always be to lien.

Every move felt risky. Cinder’s eyes would doubtless be peeled. Pyrrha needed to investigate further but had to do so quietly. Perhaps it was best to see what she could find out from a distance for a couple of days; chase up news about Haven or anything else that might seem like it’d attract Cinder’s notice. She’d take stock, lay low for a couple of days, and remain vigilant. When she made her next move, she wanted to be sure it would strike true.

####  _Haven Academy_

“Cinder!”

“Emerald,” Cinder nodded as her underling arrived outside the Headmaster’s office. Emerald was late and a little out of breath. She appeared to have few scars from last night, and looked much the same as she always did, but her eyes were red-rimmed. “You’re late. Are you quite alright this morning?”

“I am, Cinder. It’s just… I can’t stop thinking about Mercury.”

“I wasn’t aware you were close.”

“We weren’t. Hell, I hated him most of the time. But we’ve worked together for such a while, all through Beacon… it’s hard to believe he’s just gone like that.”

Yes, it was. Cinder was used to discarding those who’d outlived their usefulness, but Mercury had hardly done that, and it wasn’t her who’d done the discarding. In sudden fury, she slammed her fist against the wall.

“Cinder!” Emerald cried out in concern.

“We underestimated her, Emerald. We underestimated Nikos, and it cost us. That wasn’t the fragile girl I saw at the fall of Beacon. I guess Ozpin must have seen useful in her after all, enough to make her his puppet. Now she’s laid waste to the White Fang here, killed Mercury, made us look like fools, and worst of all continues to hold onto something that rightly belongs to me. We had to retreat last night; the environment was entirely in her favour, as she doubtless planned. But that won’t happen again.”

“Cinder,” Emerald said with a soft look, “please be careful. She’s dangerous.”

Emerald’s devotion was a strange thing, but if kept her loyal, Cinder could deal with it. “She is,” Cinder conceded. “But so are _we_. And I’ll not forgive nor forget what she’s done. Provided… provided our Mistress forgives us.”

Emerald’s breath hitched. “She wants to speak with us?”

“That’s why I called you here: We have to report. Apparently, we’re not the only ones with a failure to explain. I’m not sure if that will make things better or worse, but we’re about to find out. Come!” Cinder gestured and walked through the office doors.

Leonardo Lionheart was at his desk, pale and fraught. He looked up as she entered.

“They’re waiting for you,” he said, gesturing to the side of the office.

“Thank you, Lionheart,” Cinder replied with a smirk. She walked towards the wall and felt for the concealed switch. With a touch, the secret passage opened. “I’m sure we’ll speak later,” she said to Lionheart, and with a nod gestured for Emerald to walk in with her.

The entrance closed behind them as they made their way through the curved hallway beyond. As they turned the corner, they came to a circular chamber, to find themselves greeted in the erudite tone of a voice she utterly loathed.

“Ah, there you are Cinder. I was wondering when you were going to turn up,” Arthur Watts said. He, Tyrian and Hazel stood around the edge of the chamber, while in the centre a Seer Grimm silently hovered, its long, thin tentacles falling onto the floor. Arthur’s eyes swept over her and Emerald, and his lip curled upwards beneath his full moustache. “Still, you seem to be missing someone?” he added, smirking. Tyrian giggled.

Emerald bristled, but Cinder gestured for her to remain calm.

“We’re missing a few people, I think,” she replied. “Wasn’t the Spring Maiden meant to be here by now?”

Oh, but his glare was _gratifying_ , Cinder thought.

“We all have reason to be concerned,” Hazel said in his low rumble, nodding towards the Seer.

They all turned their eyes towards it. It was rare for all four of Salem’s principal servants to be gathered together away from the castle, but in this case their Mistress was not far away. And each had failed in their appointed tasks. Cinder briefly glanced at her colleagues. Hazel was largely impassive as always, but Watts was clearly anxious. And Tyrian… Tyrian almost looked upset.

“Shall we?” she said, restraining her own unease. They stepped towards the Seer. It rose, and a red smoke appeared to billow beneath the smooth surface of its body, before the clouds cleared to reveal a pale face with white hair set in a regal style. Black veins decorated the woman’s cheeks, while her eyes glowed, red irises within black sclera. The face of their mistress had appeared.

Tyrian’s nerve broke, and he fell to his knees, head bowed.

“Forgive me…” he begged.

Salem’s eyes swept over them all.

“I take it this is not… good news?”

They all averted their eyes at that.

“Tyrian, you first. Report on your assignment,” Salem ordered.

“I attempted to acquire the silver-eyed girl, but was foiled by the intervention of Qrow Branwen, and the arrival of her teammates via a portal.”

“A portal?” Salem’s eyes shot to Watts.

“From Tyrian’s descriptions, one indeed appeared to be Raven’s daughter,” Watts replied. “From our later visit to Raven’s camp, however, I don’t think Raven had any idea what she was sending her daughter towards.”

Salem kept her eyes on Watts as she spoke. “Hazel, news on the White Fang?”

“Adam Taurus – without our knowledge – apparently planned a coup, and it went poorly,” the big man said. “Sienna Khan killed him and holds us responsible. I had to fight my way out, and the White Fang must now be regarded as hostile.”

“I see…” Salem said icily. The tentacles of the Seer lashed back and forth, a physical manifestation of its mistress’ displeasure. Cinder braced herself. If need be, she felt she could kill it, but to do so would be an irrevocable, and eventually likely lethal, step. “Arthur, you mentioned meeting with Raven Branwen. Has she come to an agreement?”

“She has not, ma’am. We were almost at an accord, but she insists that we also take advantage of Lionheart’s cooperation, so that we might lure Qrow Branwen in and kill him, a detail that might have sabotaged the White Fang’s attack.” He glanced towards Hazel. “Of course, if I had been aware there would be no such attack, then…”

“No excuses, Watts. Has she refused us then?”

“Not as such. She asked me to take her terms back to you: her people to be left in peace, and our assistance in eliminating Qrow. She will meet with me tonight to hear our answer. If we meet those terms, then the Spring Maiden will open the vault for us.”

Salem glowered. “I’m disappointed, Watts. In you and Raven. And finally, Cinder?”

“My Queen,” Cinder replied. “Working with White Fang who apparently had yet to be informed of their change of allegiance,” she resisted the urge to glance at Hazel, “I attempted to ambush Pyrrha Nikos at her next target. However, she had prepared for us in turn, and we were forced to retreat. My subordinate, Mercury Black, was killed as a result.”

“I _did_ warn you, Cinder,” Salem said coldly.

“You did. I failed to heed it, and underestimated Nikos.”

“My goodness,” Watts said, “is that _humility_ I hear?”

“ _Watts!_ ” Salem’s rebuke came sharply. “ _No one_ is in _any_ position to offer such jibes!”

Watts shrank a little. “Of course, ma’am,” he offered.

“So, let’s see if I can summarise the situation,” Salem spoke, menace filling her tone. “Haven is completely open to us, and the Relic of Knowledge is nearly in our grasp. But we don’t have access to the Spring Maiden, and the condition for her cooperation risks the entire operation. Nor do we have access to the White Fang, who would have destroyed the academy and the CCT towers for us and served as a scapegoat for our actions. They may, in fact, have become permanently hostile. Furthermore, the silver-eyed girl is still at liberty, while the half Maiden still lives despite the fact that she’s graduated to killing my servants. And while she lives, we do not have full access to power of the Fall Maiden, and so the Relic of Choice remains out of reach. Is _that_ correct?”

“Yes,” Cinder said, her confirmation echoed by Watts and Hazel. Tyrian remained kneeling on the floor.

“And what of you, child?” Salem’s eyes turned to Emerald, standing behind the four.

“M-me!?” Emerald asked. “I’ve been working for Cinder, as always. I was there… when Mercury was killed.”

“And has she given good service?” Salem asked Cinder.

“She has,” Cinder replied. As reluctant as she would normally be to admit it, there was a good chance that Emerald had saved her life against Nikos.

“Well, at least I have one servant capable of providing such,” Salem replied. “Or I’d be the unenviable position where my least disappointing servant is Leonardo Lionheart. Perhaps you should stick around, child. A promotion may come more _quickly_ than anticipated.”

Cinder’s eye fixed once more on the Seer’s thrashing tentacles. She knew she wasn’t the only one.

“Disappointment is too… inadequate a word to express what I feel,” Salem said, her crimson eyes aglow. “Some of you may think you have some excuse for what has happened. But I have placed a significant amount of trust in each of you, trust you have poorly returned. And if you wish to return to my good graces, let alone have _my_ assistance to realise _your_ goals, then you’ll begin providing a solution. _Now_.”

Silence followed her words. Cinder dared not look aside as she racked her brain, searching desperately for some thread that would pull the whole knot free.

Watts spoke first. “Perhaps, if we had a full Maiden on our side,” Cinder gritted her teeth, seeing the true target of Watts’ words, “we’d stand a better chance of bringing Raven to–”

“ _Watts_ ,” Salem cut him off, uttering a single word in warning.

“Ma’am.” Watts fell quiet again.

Their Mistress was truly angry. And their desires, even their very survival, were on the line.

“Give Raven what she wants,” Cinder blurted out.

“Cinder?” Salem’s eyes turned fully upon her.

“She wants Lionheart to lure Qrow into a confrontation,” Cinder said, her half-thought plan falling into shape. “We give it to her. We get her cooperation, lure Qrow into a trap here, and Tyrian can acquire Rose while the rest of us take Qrow down. Then her Maiden opens the vault, and you obtain the Relic.”

Tyrian looked up in some hope.

“Cinder, I realise you have a grudge against the silver-eyed girl too,” Salem replied, “but I asked you to focus on the half Maiden.”

“You did, My Queen,” Cinder said earnestly. “But you also told me that they were easier to deal with separately, and I agree. Yet they’re both in the same city, and each passing day there is a greater risk that they’ll reunite. I won’t deny that I have cause against them both, but Nikos is well-hidden. If we concentrate our forces and remove Rose and her friends first, then we’ll be in a better position to eliminate Nikos afterwards.”

“Go on,” said Salem. “What about the academy?”

“We replace the White Fang with muscle from the local gangs; I already have contact with the underworld, and they _owe_ me. They can carry out the demolition of the academy and CCT towers, removing evidence of our presence. We can even have them pose _as_ White Fang, allowing the blame to fall upon them and teach them the folly of defying you.”

Salem closed her eyes in contemplation. Cinder took several deep breaths as she awaited an answer.

Salem opened her eyes once more. “Very well, Cinder. Your plan has my approval. Make your arrangements with the underworld, and have Lionheart provide an appropriate pretext to bring Qrow and Rose to the academy at the proper time. Hazel and Tyrian, help plan the ambush and assist Cinder in securing both the girl and most importantly the Relic. The Relic comes _first_ , understood?”

“Understood,” Cinder confirmed.

“As you say, ma’am,” Hazel nodded.

“Yes, Your Grace,” Tyrian said, bowing more deeply.

“Watts,” Salem’s eyes turned towards the scientist. “Accept Raven’s terms and have her coordinate with Cinder. Then return here.”

Watts swallowed hard. “Yes, ma’am. May I enquire why?” Cinder couldn’t help but internally gloat a little.

“We must start looking at operations elsewhere,” Salem said. “Your expertise will be useful. Rest assured, you _will_ make up for your failures. _As will you all_.”

The four again gave their assent.

“One last matter, Cinder,” Salem said. “What of the half Maiden? We still need Fall, and while I want this other situation resolved first, I am sure we are both anxious for you to settle matters there. How will you plan to find her afterwards?”

“Flushing Nikos out will not be easy,” Cinder admitted. “But Lionheart is still on the council, for what little time may be remaining, and we can make use of that. I have an idea on how we can start making life very difficult for her…”

####  _Kuo Kuana, Menagerie_

The people of Kuo Kuana had been awed by her arrival. Mostly that was the airship, Sienna Khan could admit; Menagerie was very short of those. But it was good to know she could still make an impression.

She needed to make more than one now.

She’d sent some of her retinue off on assigned tasks, but she made her way towards the large home that sat at the centre of Kuo Kuana, flanked by her guards. Passers-by stopped and gawked as she walked along the road, but soon enough she’d come to the mansion. While humble compared to stately homes in the Kingdoms, the large, multilevel home was the grandest such building in Menagerie.

Their way onto the grounds was blocked, as two armoured Menagerie Guard impeded their passage with their spears.

Her own guards made to lower their own spears, but she stopped them with an upraised hand.

“I’m here to speak with the Chieftain of Menagerie,” Sienna said.

“Apologies, ma’am, we can’t admit any unauthorised visitors,” said one guard.

“Well go _get_ authorization,” she replied. “I’m sure Ghira Belladonna will want to speak with me.”

“We’ve had a lot of trouble lately, ma’am. We can’t let you enter with armed soldiers.”

“Then I _won’t_. They can stay out here. We’re not here for a fight.”

One of her own guards spoke up. “High Leader, in view of the situation, I’d recommend against that.”

“The Belladonnas and I have our disagreements, but this is one of the last places I’ll be under any threat,” Sienna replied. She turned back to the Menagerie guard in front of her. “If one of you could please fetch Ghira or Kali? You know who I am, I trust?”

“Ma’am,” the other guard spoke. “We really must…”

“Just what is going on out here?” A large Faunus man appeared from the front doors of the house. He was broadly muscled and hairy, with thick dark hair extending down into a full beard and a thatched chest little hidden by his rich violet coat. He looked down with his yellow eyes at the guards, before his gaze darted over to the interloper.

“Sienna…?!” he gasped.

“Ghira,” she nodded in greeting. “It’s been a while.”

“It has,” he replied, faintly stunned. He roused himself. “I’m glad to see you’re alive! I take it you got our warning?”

“I received no warning.”

His face darkened. “I see. Perhaps you’d better come inside so we can talk.” He gestured at his guards to let her through, while she let her own know to stay by the entrance.

He stood by the open doors as she approached and let her pass through first. “My apologies,” he said, as he closed the doors behind him. “The guards here have been a little jumpy lately. We’ve had some trouble with the White Fang.” He said the last with a tinge of humour.

“You’re not the only ones,” she replied with less.

Ghira glanced at her, then nodded with a grim expression. “I suppose not.”

They walked through the entrance hall. “We’re about to have tea in the dining room, perhaps you’d like to join us?” he suggested.

“That would do nicely,” she said, as she followed him through the house.

“I couldn’t help but notice. Your guards: they wore no masks.”

“No,” Sienna replied. “That little innovation has had to come to an urgent end.”

They arrived at the large circular room that served as the mansion’s dining room. “Kali!” Ghira called out. “We have a guest.”

A woman with short black hair and distinctive cat ears looked up from the low table upon which she was preparing tea. Her amber eyes widened upon seeing their visitor. “Sienna?! It’s you?”

“Hello Kali,” Sienna said, unable to resist some warmth for an old friend, regardless of the schism that lay between them.

“Are you joining us? For tea, I mean?”

“She is,” Ghira said. “I expect we have much to discuss.”

“Mom, I heard we had a visitor?” a girl, looking like a younger doppelganger of Kali with longer hair, entered the room, followed by a boy of the same age, a monkey Faunus with blonde hair and of all things an open shirt. Sienna had no clue who the latter was, but the former she recognised all too well.

“Blake,” she said. She hadn’t seen her since she’d left to go with Adam Taurus to Vale. She’d been such a young girl then, Sienna reflected, not much older than when she’d chosen the White Fang over her parents. Sienna could see how she’d grown, both in form and in her eyes.

Blake Belladonna’s eyes turned upon Sienna and blinked in surprise. “Sienna! You’re… you’re here?”

“I am,” Sienna said. “It’s been a while, Blake.”

“Wait, who is this?” the blond boy asked.

“Sienna Khan… High Leader of the White Fang,” Blake said.

“Wait, she’s the one in charge of those psychos!”

Sienna’s eyebrow rose.

“Sun…” Blake begun.

“But they attacked Beacon!” he cried.

“Not on _my_ orders!” Sienna hissed.

“That’s just what the Albain brothers said,” the blond boy said.

“Yes, the Albain brothers,” Sienna’s eyes glittered dangerously. “We _do_ have much to discuss. Perhaps if we sit?” she asked Ghira and Kali.

Ghira nodded and waved to a mat beside the table. “Of course,” he said.

Sienna sat, across from Kali, and Ghira joined them, sitting on the side between them. Blake and the boy remained standing, uncertain.

“I’m not sure we can trust you,” the boy said.

“Well, I’m not sure I like you,” replied Sienna archly.

There was a bark of laughter from Ghira. “Ah, common ground at last!” he said, looking towards Sienna. “Blake, Mister Wukong, please take a seat.”

“Sun, dear,” Kali said, gesturing towards Sienna, “she’s the one Adam was working to overthrow.”

Blake and Sun slowly sat down beside the fourth side of the table.

Sienna took the proffered cup of tea. “So, you knew then,” she said, after she took a sip.

“We did,” Kali replied. “We learnt of it from White Fang sources here. Did you get our message?”

“Apparently not,” Ghira said grimly.

“The rot was deep,” Sienna added. “Both here and elsewhere. Though I do appreciate the effort.”

“But then our warning to the Mistral Council?” asked Kali.

“I doubt it got any further,” Sienna replied.

The Belladonnas and Sun Wukong exchanged worried glances.

“Then Haven’s still in danger!” Sun said, looking towards Ghira.

“Sun’s right,” Blake added. “We’ve got to help them!”

“You both know we’re trying,” Ghira replied, before turning towards Sienna. “But if you didn’t get our warning, how did you know to come here?”

“A good question,” said Sienna, “and one that will hopefully address your other points. I can assure you that, while Haven Academy may still be in danger, it is not from the White Fang.”

“How can you be sure?” Sun asked. “You said the attack on Beacon happened without your orders too.”

Sienna levelled her gaze at Sun. For a moment he seemed to flinch, but he rallied and glared back. “You’re right,” she admitted. “I’ve had to take steps to ensure orders are followed. Which is why I’m here–”

The loud thud of the door knocker echoed through the house as it beat several times. The faint sounds of a renewed commotion could be heard coming from the front door.

“Who is it this time?” Ghira growled.

Sienna took another sip of her tea. “I believe that should be the Albain brothers.”

It was indeed Fennec and Corsac at the front. Their entry had been barred, but they’d loudly insisted that they needed to speak to the Chieftain. Wary of attracting a crowd, and with Sienna’s own bodyguards still near the entrance, the sentries had reluctantly knocked the door for Ghira to deal with these supposed dignitaries. Grudgingly, they were admitted to the entrance hall, flanked by members of the Menagerie Guard. The reason for their visit became clear as soon as they entered.

“Your Grace,” Fennec said, both of the brothers nodding to Ghira, before they both turned their attention towards Sienna. “High Leader, we heard your unexpected visit. May we ask the occasion of your visit?”

Sienna raised a curious eyebrow. “You could have waited for me to call upon you, Fennec,” she said.

“But High Leader,” Corsac cut in. “We were worried! People have been spreading a great deal of misinformation about the White Fang here in Menagerie, rumours spread by certain instigators.” Sienna could feel Ghira tense as Corsac briefly glanced at Blake, but Fennec’s eyes settled on the more politic choice of Sun Wukong.

“You mean _him_?” Sienna asked, gesturing towards the bewildered monkey Faunus. “And you fear I would be swayed by this boy?”

“Many have been who should know better,” Fennec replied, openly glaring at the Belladonnas now. “And we felt to warn you lest damaging untruths be repeated by those you would otherwise respect.”

“I _see_ ,” said Sienna. She turned towards Ghira. “By the way, Ghira, before I forget...” She pulled out a Scroll and passed it over to him.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“A list of names, and evidence. Evidence linking those on the list to Adam Taurus, and his plans to carry out more attacks like those on Beacon Academy. Plans they aimed to assist, not least by plotting to kill _me_.” Sienna turned towards Fennec and Corsac with a glimmer in her eye. “The Albain brothers are top of the list.”

Before the two could react, the guards flanking them moved, bringing their spears down and sweeping forward to knock both brothers off their feet. Both fell to the ground in a heap. Corsac was first to try and pick himself up but both were stopped as the guards levelled their spears at them.

“Your Grace?” the captain of the guard asked.

Ghira glared at them. “Arrest them,” he ordered. He checked the Scroll in his hands for a moment. “Send detachments to detain everyone on this list for questioning,” he added, showing the list to the captain.

“High leader, I don’t know what you’ve been told!” Corsac protested. “It’s brother Adam you need to apprehend!”

“Adam is dead,” Sienna said flatly.

Both brothers paled. Blake gave a shocked gasp.

Some took the news with more enthusiasm. “Alright!” Sun cheered.

“Not the time, dear,” Kali said softly, though with a hint of amusement. She reached out to her daughter and took her arm gently.

“You… you’ve ruined everything!” Fennec yelled. “You’ve betrayed us all, betrayed our cause!”

“How, by not offering up my own neck for the slaughter?” Sienna shot back. “Our cause? Our cause was to _defend_ the Faunus. Conspiring with human terrorists, painting a target on Faunus the world over, unleashing _Grimm_ on human and Faunus alike? How does _any_ of that protect our people?”

“Take them away,” Ghira ordered over their protests. The guards took hold of the brothers and hauled them to their feet.

“You should be glad to receive Menagerie justice,” Sienna added. “Although if you prefer White Fang justice, perhaps Ghira could send you with me.”

“I’ll not be rushed into judgment,” Ghira said with mild rebuke. “They’ll receive a fair trial.”

“That’s your choice, of course,” Sienna said, inclining her head. “But I fear there will be some things we simply have to rush.”

“It was close then,” Ghira said. They were seated once again around the table in the dining room, where Sienna had told them of Adam’s coup attempt.

“Very close,” Sienna replied. “If not for this disturbance in Mistral, I’d likely have missed any sign. And then I’d be dead, and Adam would be preparing for his attack on Haven.”

“And this person in Mistral?” Blake asked.

“Unknown,” Sienna said. “Someone connected with Beacon, it seems. My source indicated that Adam thought it was you at one point.”

“Me?!”

“Yes. I’m not entirely sure why, I’m afraid.” Sienna replied. “Apparently he was wrong.”

Blake fell silent, staring at her teacup.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Kali asked, reaching across the table to gently grasp one of Blake’s hands.

“It’s a lot to take in. I had reason to want to see the last of him. He’d become so… twisted. And that night in Beacon, he hurt me, he really hurt my partner, and he threatened you all. He said he was going to destroy everything I love. But I never imagined that one day he’d be gone.”

Sun placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, it’s good he can’t do any of that now, right?”

“Sure,” Blake replied, with a flicker of a smile. “I just… it took me so long to see what he had become. There’s much to process.”

“I… I have to apologise for ever letting you go with that man,” Sienna said, to her own surprise.

“I don’t think I would have listened,” replied Blake.

“Perhaps not, but I had a responsibility, you were still so young,” Sienna said with regret, now realising her own feelings on the matter. “I fear we were both blinded when it came to him, if in different ways. And I played a part in the man he became; that wasn’t your fault, and you realised who he was sooner than I.”

“You admit you were mistaken?” Ghira cut in with a pointed look.

“About some things,” Sienna replied with more fire. “Do not mistake me, Ghira, there is much I have not changed my mind about. But Adam’s actions _do_ force my hand. Be gracious in your victory.”

“So, what does this mean now?” asked Kali.

“Yeah, Haven’s safe, right?” said Sun.

“Perhaps,” Sienna replied. She turned towards Kali and Ghira. “Aside from the immediate matter of the Albains and Adam’s remaining supporters, that is what I came here to talk to you about. Now that Adam is out of the way, the White Fang has able to completely disavow the attack on Beacon. Unfortunately–“

“Wait, do you mean if Adam hadn’t tried to kill you, you wouldn’t have?!” blurted out Sun.

“I don’t know,” Sienna said, to the group’s horror. “Don’t get me wrong: Beacon was far over the line. Adam would have been punished once I had the details. But I don’t know if I could have just handed him and an entire branch of the White Fang over. But then again, from all he said last we spoke, I didn’t know him or his intentions well at all, and I’m not just talking about his attempt to kill me. We were fighting for different causes all along.” She trailed off, lost for a moment in thought.

“Unfortunately…?” Ghira prompted.

“Unfortunately,” Sienna continue, “the fall of the Beacon CCT means global communications are severely restricted. We can condemn the attack through our usual channels as much as we like, but news won’t spread anywhere near as fast as I’d like or need it to. It’s the same with our suspension of any aggressive operations.”

“It’s the White Fang you wish to save, then?” asked Kali.

“It’s not just the matter of the Fang, though yes, I want to keep it alive and useful. Menagerie is also vulnerable to being tainted by association. We’re lucky the Atlesians decided to pull back, or I’d have half expected them to invade by now. I know there’s been noises from the other kingdoms about a united front, one that might easily be drawn not just against the White Fang, but against Menagerie and even all Faunus as well.”

“What are you suggesting, Sienna? Preparing for war? We need peace!” Ghira insisted.

“Yes, we do,” Sienna admitted, to Ghira’s surprise. “Don’t look so shocked. Yes, I wanted the Faunus to stand up for ourselves, by force if necessary. But you know I never wanted a race war! Adam did, and even though he’s dead, without bold moves there’s a risk he’ll succeed in starting one. Which takes us onto Haven.”

“What about Haven?” Sun asked, renewed concern etched on his features.

“Adam’s human partners are still out there. I don’t know what they want, but attacking the academies fits into it somehow. I don’t know when or how, but there’s every risk they’ll find some way of trying, and soon.”

“That’s true,” Blake spoke up. “It wasn’t just the White Fang behind the attack on Vale; there were human agents too.”

“And if they attack Haven, we may end up getting damned with them by association,” Sienna added.

“That’s a very pragmatic view,” Ghira said chidingly.

“Always, although I’m not blind to the academies’ utility for human and Faunus alike. But avoiding a war we can’t win between Faunus and the collected mass of humanity makes it of even more concern. And I certainly don’t like being used as a catspaw for a third party.”

“So, if not preparing for war, what are you proposing?” Ghira asked.

“Your messenger likely didn’t make it to Mistral,” Sienna replied. “So, we go and warn them personally. Now.”

“ _We_?” asked Kali.

“Yes, _we_.” Sienna emphasised. “If just I and my retinue turn up at Mistral, there’s a chance they’ll simply try to knock me out of the sky. But if you come with me, you have a better chance of securing the ear of the Mistral council… especially if you take the credit for successfully bringing the White Fang to the negotiating table.”

“They won’t buy that, surely?” objected Ghira. “They know of the split between us, but they also know that I founded the White Fang.”

“And they know it was a very different organisation then,” Sienna answered. “The divide between us was hardly faked, even if it's in our mutual interest to find a way past it now. And Mistral may be particularly receptive: their defences are overstretched, they’ve had these attacks in the city itself, and there are rising tensions with Atlas. They can’t afford war _either_.

“I need to get across to at least one of the kingdoms the extent to which we’ve distanced ourselves from the attack on Beacon. If we can get through to one, we stand a better chance with the others. I can loudly denounce the attack on Beacon, I can warn them about Haven, I can rein in what White Fang cells remain in their city, and I can offer Adam’s head as proof of our sincerity. But they’re not going to listen to me without a go-between, and I doubt they’ll offer many concessions to the White Fang. But they may be willing to compromise with _Menagerie_. That could mean much for both the Faunus of Mistral and for Menagerie alike.”

“You surprise me, Sienna,” Ghira said. “This is quite unlike your usual style.”

“Direct confrontation has its place, but as I said, Adam’s tied my hands. I _won’t_ fight a war against all four kingdoms that will just bring ruin upon the Faunus, and I _won’t_ be manipulated into doing so for someone else,” she said, gritting her teeth, looking down for a moment. She looked back up at Ghira. “But if I have to bend to any degree, then I want it to mean something. Something concrete. This is the best I could come up with in a hurry. I have very little choice.”

“We always have some,” Ghira mused. “So, you want us to leave now and just turn up unannounced?”

“Yes, it’s a surprise negotiation,” Sienna smiled wryly for a moment, before returning to a more serious mien. “We can hardly get prior word to them. And time is pressing; neither the kingdoms nor these allies of Adam will be waiting for us to act. The clock is ticking, even if Mistral is still unaware of it.”

Ghira looked at Kali for a moment, waited until he saw her nod. He then briefly glanced at Blake and Sun to gauge their reactions, before nodding himself.

“Very well, Sienna, it looks like we’ll be working together again.” He extended an outstretched hand. Sienna took it with her own. “We’d best get going.”

####  _A Restaurant in Lower Mistral_

“You’ve some nerve!” Lil’ Miss Malachite spat.

“Surprised to see me?” Cinder said, almost cheerfully. She stood in front of the table Lil’ Miss was sat at. Tyrian sat hunched over her beaten bodyguards, his stinger poised, while Emerald covered the rest of the room from the door with her revolvers.

“I told you the Red Huntress was dangerous. I wasn’t sure you were goin’ to show up again,” Lil’ Miss replied.

“Well, I have,” Cinder said with a smirk. “And you did tell me quite a bit about the Red Huntress’s activities. But you did forget to mention a few details about that White Fang base. Like its prior use.” Her smile disappeared.

“You didn’t ask. What’s it you anyway?”

“It was rather convenient ground for her, considering her semblance allows her to control _metal_.”

Lil’ Miss chuckled. “Oh, _that_ I didn’t know. I’ll keep that in mind. Must have made things rather difficult “

“Indeed, it did,” Cinder said. “But as you can see, I’m _still_ here. And I’m interested to know quite _how_ she was expecting us.”

Tyrian giggled. “You know, Cinder, if working with you was always like this, I might grow to welcome these collaborations.”

Lil’ Miss ignored him. “Look, I told you what you wanted, gave you exactly what you paid for, and you can’t say otherwise. Blusterin’s not going to make me say any different.

“Fair enough,” Cinder replied. “We started on the wrong foot, and I’m willing to let bygones be bygones. But I wanted you to know that _this_ is a _concession_.” Her eye lit with an orange fire, and flame sprang up in the palm of her hand.

Lil’ Miss Malachite’s eyes flashed to the fire and back again. Her face tensed in a set expression.

“You’re not going to get your way by just threatenin’ me,” she said.

“Of course not,” replied Cinder. “You’re a businesswoman, and I can respect that. Rest assured that we’d intend to pay you well for our next proposition. But I wanted to make sure we all knew where we stood.”

“You’ve made your point,” Lil’ Miss said, grimacing. She waved for her people to settle themselves.

Cinder let the fire fade from her hand and nodded to Tyrian and Emerald. Emerald holstered her weapons, while Tyrian rose and allowed the bodyguards to pick themselves up from the floor.

“No one hurt,” he said with disappointment. “Well, not _permanently_.”

“So, what are you after?” said Lil’ Miss. “The Red Huntress again? I don’t want to get between the two of you.”

“Understandable,” Cinder chuckled, before her expression curdled. “I have other plans where _she’s_ concerned. Let me assure you, it’d be unwise to bet on _her_.”

“Then what is it?”

“I want your men, for a big job.”

“What sort of big job? I’m not in the habit of loanin’ employees out unless I know what they’re up to.”

“I want to use them up at Haven academy. In a few nights’ time.”

“Doin’ what?”

“The buildings there might develop a few… structural weaknesses.”

“Are you crazy?” Lil’ Miss shouted.

“No, though he might be,” Cinder replied, nodding towards Tyrian, who rolled his eyes. “I’m not asking them to fight. It’s currently empty. They’d simply be involved in setting up demolition.”

“And why would I do such a thing?” Lil’ Miss pressed. “That risks a lot of heat on my head.”

“Well firstly, I’d hope you could see this is an offer you can’t afford to refuse. Secondly, perhaps we can show you that this isn’t an offer you can _afford_ to lose. Emerald!”

At Cinder’s call, Emerald picked up a briefcase beside her and tossed it in Cinder’s direction. Cinder caught it with her right arm, and then set the case on the table. She undid each of the latches, and then turned the case around to show Lil’ Miss the stacked cards of Lien within.

Malachite’s eyes lit up. “Now that is a fair amount.” She quickly skimmed the contents. “Still not enough, though.”

“This and the same again in advance. An equal amount afterwards, upon completion.”

Lil’ Miss nodded. “Okay, that’s a serious offer. But I’m not sure it’ll justify the trouble I’ll get.”

“And so we come to point three,” Cinder said. “If we do this right, you shouldn’t have any trouble at all. We want your men to pose as White Fang. As far as Remnant will be concerned, they’ll be the ones responsible. That’s less problems for you and, well, they were being a nuisance to you, weren’t they?”

Lil’s Miss looked down once more at the briefcase, eyes narrowed in thought. “Okay, we might be able to do business. And I think I have something that can help on that last point…” She gestured for one of her bodyguards to come over and whispered in his ear. He turned and popped through the door into the back rooms.

“Where’s he going?” asked Cinder.

“He’s fetchin’ something that might prove handy to this little endeavour,” Lil’ Miss said, smiling. The bodyguard came back through the door with a large black holdall, which he placed on the table.

“What’s this?”

“A little present from your friend,” Lil’ Miss replied. She unzipped the bag, revealing it to be full of White Fang masks. “Think these will be of any use?”

Cinder smiled.

####  _The (New) Camp of the Branwen Tribe_

It was dark in their new camp. Sentries would be keeping watch at the camp’s edge, of course, but nearly everyone else was asleep.

Vernal was not. She remained in the gloom surrounding the back of Raven’s tent, waiting. She’d been waiting for a while. If she had too, she’d wait much longer. Though it would be dawn soon. Much longer would mean something had gone wrong.

The air was torn asunder by crimson light, which opened into a portal. Vernal braced herself, but Raven stepped through, features concealed beneath her armour and Grimm mask. Vernal allowed herself to relax slightly.

The portal closed behind Raven as she took off her mask. She glanced at Vernal, but Vernal simply waited for instruction.

“Thank you for waiting, Vernal. It’s done,” Raven said eventually. “Salem’s agreed to our terms. Lionheart’s going to lure Qrow and his party to Haven the night after next. We’ll both be there.”

“How are we going to do this?” asked Vernal.

“Very carefully. We’re going to have to play a lot by ear. Thankfully you’re good at improvisation. We’re going to have to keep this pretty close to our chests. If any of Salem’s servants get one whiff of what we’re really up to – what we’re really after – the tribe really will be in trouble.”

“Why take the risk then? If Salem’s promised to leave us alone.”

“Because I don’t trust her to keep her promises any further than I can throw her. It’d be as foolish to rely on the goodwill of the Queen of the Grimm as it would be to openly oppose her. And I don’t want any part in this war; I didn’t stop fighting for Ozpin just so I could sign up with the opposite side and help _her_ out.”

“They’re going to be suspicious of us.”

“Of course they are, as we are of them. We’re each planning to betray each other sooner or later. We’re just planning on doing it first and doing in such a way that they don’t know we’ve done it. Ideally, it needs to look like we kept our part, but the attempt failed anyway due to Qrow and his party. With no eye-witnesses to say otherwise.”

“But what does the Relic actually do?” Vernal asked.

“Ozpin keeps much about the Relics hidden, all part of his secrets. But Haven holds the Relic of Knowledge, and it can answer any question. _Any_ question, including how we keep the tribe safe from Salem. If we can get the answer to that, it may not even matter if they get hold of it afterwards. Just so long as we get to the Relic first and ask _our_ questions.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the reviews and comments; the last chapter seems to have largely made the impression I was hoping for. With this chapter, we’re now more than 2/3s of the way through (and yes, per AO3, this story should have 20 chapters total, including the prologue).


	15. Chapter Fourteen: A Maiden's Fame

####  _Lodgings in Mistral_

They’d been having the same argument for several days.

“There must be _something_ we can do!” Yang yelled in frustration, pacing around the room.

“I appreciate your eagerness to help, Miss Xiao Long,” Ozpin replied from the armchair, once more speaking through Oscar’s body. “But the wrong action could easily do more harm than good. And your training isn’t nothing. The practice I’ve been having each of you do will prepare you all for when it is time to act.”

His gaze, those ancient eyes in a young face, swept around the trainee huntresses and huntsman in turn. Yet Ruby remained unsatisfied.

“What about recruiting the huntsmen we need? Couldn’t we help with that again?”

“Miss Rose,” Ozpin replied. “Three day ago, an agent of Salem’s attempted to abduct you from the very streets of this city. I don’t want to put you at unnecessary risk.”

“Doesn’t being a huntress involve risk?” Ruby pressed, leaning forward on the sofa. “I’ll have my sister and friends with me; if we’re in danger out there, isn’t that true in here too? I can’t just sit back and let Uncle Qrow do everything!”

Ozpin opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a familiar voice.

“Don’t worry about it, pipsqueak,” Uncle Qrow sighed from the doorway. He briefly closed his eyes, took a sip from his flask, and walked into the lounge. “They’re all gone anyway.”

“All gone?” asked Weiss.

“Every single huntsman on my list is missing,” Qrow replied. He gave a meaningful look at Ozpin. “At this point, I’d wager they’re all dead.”

“ _All_ of them?!” Ren said with quiet shock.

“Yeah. You and Valkyrie were right: something weird is going on,” Qrow nodded towards the pair. “I did some double-checking. They’re all missing in action, or significantly overdue. That’s scores of professional huntsmen, all _gone_.”

“That… that’s not right,” Weiss said.

“It stinks,” Qrow agreed. “But that’s not all. Recognise him?” He pulled out some photographs and slid one onto the coffee table.

Ruby looked down to see a familiar face. One she’d last seen smirking over the rigged fight they’d arranged between Pyrrha and Penny, _laughing_ over the tragedy they’d engineered. She clenched her fists.

“ _Mercury_ ,” her sister growled from over her shoulder. “He’s here in Mistral? No problem walking any more, I take it?” she asked angrily, remembering her own grudge. She came around the sofa to stand beside the table, hands on hips.

“I’m sorry we doubted you on that one, firecracker. But he can’t walk now.” Qrow slid another photograph across the table. Yang bent down to pick it up.

“Holy…!” Yang exclaimed, dropping the photo. Ruby glanced at it, then looked away.

“He’s _dead_?” she asked.

Qrow nodded, “Another attack on a White Fang place, night before last. No one was on scene by the time police moved in, aside from a couple of White Fang bodies and our old friend there. He’d received multiple injuries, although they think what finished him off was a sword wound through the chest. Place was busted up good, too. Police are a little confused, but I figure these might mean more to us. Who do you know that wields a sword and can do this?” He placed several more photographs on the table.

Ruby took the nearest one. It showed the shattered remains of several factory lines.

“ _Polarity_ ,” Weiss whispered, looking at another. She showed the photo she was holding, revealing a similar scene, but in which the shattered machinery and debris had been twisted and laid out in a distinctly circular pattern. A disturbingly regular circle, one that could be no mere produce of an explosion.

 _You can control poles_ , Ruby remembered saying in more innocent times, when she and Weiss had first seen Pyrrha use her semblance. That time she’d used it to covertly assist Jaune in Forever Fall.

“It’s true,” Weiss continued. “ _Pyrrha_ did this. But this is far beyond what she could do before! Well, except perhaps…” she trailed off.

 _Except during that fight against Penny_ , Ruby thought with an ache. _When who knows what Emerald put in her head?_

“I suspect Miss Nikos was restrained by her training and natural kindness,” Ozpin replied in a quiet tone. “But if motivated to push past them?”

“Way to go, Pyrrha!” Nora whispered with glee, to some looks of alarm.

“She’s really doing this,” Yang breathed out in some shock, shaking her head, and sat down on the arm of the sofa next to Ruby. “Cereal girl killed all those people. She’s killed Mercury Black. Part of me didn’t believe it. I mean, I knew she liked…” She broke off as she caught Nora glaring at her. “Hey,” she said more softly, looking at Nora, “We all miss him. But none of us is doing _this_. It’s a lot to take in.”

“Unfortunately, it gets worse,” Qrow said. All turned their eyes back towards him. “Think about it: Nikos happens to raid a White Fang hideout, and Black just happens to be there?”

There was a moment of silence, before Ozpin spoke in a strained voice.

“Cinder Fall is in Mistral,” he said. “It’s likely Emerald Sustrai too. And they know Miss Nikos is here. They’re hunting her.”

“What!?” Nora yelled, grasping onto Ren’s arm. “Is Pyrrha okay?” she fretted.

“I believe so, Miss Valkyrie,” Ozpin replied. “The presence of Mister Black’s body suggests Cinder’s team ran first, or they’d have taken it with them to avoid leaving evidence. I think Miss Nikos survived the encounter intact.”

The ginger girl relaxed and let out her breath and glanced at Ren. He returned her look with a nod and a hand on the back of hers.

“So, what do we do?” asked Ruby. There had to be _something_. “She might be in danger again soon!”

“Yeah,” said Nora. “We can’t just stay here training while Pyrrha’s fighting _alone_!”

Ozpin sat quietly, in thought.

“You can’t mean for us to do _nothing_?” Yang said more loudly.

“Trust me, I’m as alarmed at this as you are,” Ozpin said. “Miss Nikos is playing a very perilous game. But we face much the same dilemma as before. We don’t know where Miss Nikos is. We can’t risk the authorities, not that they’re having any better luck. Salem has agents in the city, and we know one is specifically looking for Miss Rose. And there’s Leonardo: he’s acting so strangely I can no longer bring myself to trust him, and yet we can’t move against him without some cause and proof. We need to know more, and yet we cannot press him without disclosing my own presence.”

“Oz, the kids have a point,” Qrow said, seating himself next to Ren and Nora. “I don’t know how many other huntsmen Mistral has lost, but with the list we have, that’s quite a hole in the kingdom’s defences. They might be able to weather that given time, but if Haven academy ever gets knocked out like Beacon was? They won’t be able to train any huntsmen to replace the dead ones. The whole kingdom’s hanging off a cliff it’s not even aware of. Add to that the fact that Leo’s being so peculiar, that Salem’s got people in the city, and that Nikos is already fighting them with all the risks _that_ brings… I don’t think we can afford to wait.”

“One false move, and we risk everything.”

“Doing nothing risks everything too. It still counts as a move. And it’s the one we largely made at Beacon.”

Ozpin closed his eyes and bowed his head with a faint sigh. After a moment, he looked back up.

“You have a point, Qrow. But, short of confronting Lionheart, I’m not sure what we _can_ do.”

Ruby looked aghast at Ozpin. He’d always seemed so in control, always ahead of things, from the first time she’d met him at that police station. To see him at any kind of loss seemed… wrong. From her friends’ expressions, she knew wasn’t alone.

“Well,” said Yang, cracking the knuckles on her human hand, “if that’s the only thing we can do, then–”

A Scroll rang.

“Sorry, that’s me,” Qrow said after a moment’s confusion. He took out his scroll and pulled it open to answer, and his eyes shot back up. “It’s _Lionheart_!”

Ozpin caught his look and nodded.

Qrow answered the call. “Leo, nice of you to call,” he said.

“Qrow,” Lionheart’s voice came through the Scroll. “I… I’m sorry to bother you, but I have news on the Spring Maiden situation. The Council’s given me the go ahead and resources to apprehend her, provided your party is still willing to help?”

Qrow rolled his eyes. “We know what’s at stake, Leo, of course we are.”

“I’m sorry Qrow,” Lionheart replied with a hint of nervousness. “I wouldn’t mean to imply otherwise. But perhaps you’d be willing to come to the Academy to discuss the details of the operation tomorrow night… say 8 pm?”

“I guess I could make time,” Qrow said. “Are you sure we can’t meet any earlier? The quicker we meet, the sooner we can be on our way.”

“I… I’m afraid so, Qrow,” Lionheart answered after a brief pause. “I really can’t get away from Council business today, or tomorrow. Tomorrow night’s our best opportunity.”

Qrow shared a glance with Ozpin. “If you say so, Leo. Any news on the other matters we discussed?”

“None that I’ve heard, I’m afraid. But we can talk more tomorrow night.”

“I’ll see you then. Bye.” Qrow closed the call and looked again at Ozpin with an eyebrow raised.

The group sat quietly for a moment, as Ruby glanced at the faces around her.

“That seems like convenient timing,” said Nora.

“Far, _far_ , too convenient,” Ozpin said, a hint of bitterness entering his tone. “Events are moving in the city, and now he calls for us to come? And at a very specific time. It… how did you put it Qrow? It stinks.”

“He didn’t mention Black either,” said Qrow.

“Would he have known?” asked Weiss.

“He’d have known alright. The police made a positive ID yesterday. A wanted terrorist, and one who’d been a nominal pupil of his school? He’d have been told, and he knows we’re after them.”

“ _Leonardo_ , what have you done?” Ozpin muttered, eyes looking down, knuckles tightening over his cane.

“It’s a trap, right?” Ruby said.

“Indeed, it is, Miss Rose,” Ozpin replied, looking back up with iron in his eyes.

“So how about we just walk up there now and have a little word?” said Yang.

“It’s a tempting option, Miss Xiao Long, but we risk finding little of what we need if we move right now. There was precious little sign of anything when Qrow was last at the academy, and we need to catch him in the act. No, we let the rats gather first, and then we spring the trap.”

“We’re just going to walk into it?!” Yang yelled.

“Not _just_ walk into it,” Ozpin said coldly. “We’re going to go prepared and armed. And no matter what, I am going to have a _very long_ conversation with Leonardo Lionheart.”

####  _Haven Academy_

“There, it’s done,” Lionheart said, unable to raise his eyes.

“Don’t be like that, Leo,” Watts said. “Our collaboration has been very productive, and I don’t want to end it on a sour note.” He was stood before Lionheart’s desk, while Tyrion leaned against the wall beside the door. Cinder and Emerald stood to the side, having watched Lionheart’s call. The headmaster himself was slumped at his desk.

“Have you never had friends, colleagues?” he said weakly.

Watts looked at Cinder, and the two exchanged a poisonous glare.

“On occasion,” Watts said, “although I find teamwork to be quite overrated for the most part.”

Cinder cut in. “I wouldn’t feel too bad about it, Lionheart. Qrow was a risk to your own life, you know. How would he have taken news of your recent activities?”

Lionheart looked up at that, his face pale.

“Just keep your head down, Lionheart, and serve our Mistress, and you’ll come through intact,” Watts said with irritation. He turned towards Cinder. “Cinder, dear, I’d say it was a shame but that would be lying. Do remember Raven will be popping by later today to coordinate, so _don’t_ screw this up.”

“I’ll be sure not to,” Cinder replied. A smirk then crossed her face. “It’s best not to keep our Queen waiting, Watts. I’m sure she’s anxious to discuss events with you in person.”

Watts grimaced, before turning back towards Lionheart. “Well, yes, it’s time to leave. it’s been educational working with you, Leo,” he said with a parting nod.

As Watts turned, Lionheart placed his head in his hands. Emerald shot a questioning look at Cinder, one Cinder returned with a nod, and Emerald followed Watts and Tyrian as they left the room. As the door closed behind them Lionheart let out a long sigh.

“Is it that bad?” Cinder asked.

Lionheart jerked up, alarmed, before his eyes darted towards Cinder.

“I thought you’d gone with the others.”

“What, and bid _Watts_ a fond farewell? Almost any company is better than his,” Cinder scoffed. She walked over towards Lionheart’s desk, and leaned on the side. “Besides, there was one more matter I wanted to discuss with you.”

“And what is it this time?” he asked in resignation.

“Now don’t be like that, Lionheart. For all you know I could be doing you a favour.”

Lionheart narrowed his eyes.

“I’m serious. Unlike some, I have no particular grudge against you. So long as you continue to prove useful, I doubt I ever shall.”

Lionheart clasped his hands in front of him and rested his elbows on the desk. “Then what is it?”

“I was wondering how much you’d heard about these attacks on the White Fang in the city?”

“I didn’t know you’d taken such an interest in Mistral’s affairs,” Lionheart shot back.

“I have an interest in anything that concerns my goals,” Cinder replied smoothly.

“And I suppose that does, since you used the White Fang before?”

“Alas, they’ve passed their usefulness,” Cinder said dismissively. “But humour me. You must get reports, you’re on the Council.”

“What’s there to report, the police are no closer to catching anyone. They’re coming around on the lone attacker rumours, but the thought that the Spider syndicate has anyone like that in their back pocket is terrifying. Besides, from what police informants say the gangs are almost as scared.”

“Ah, this ‘Red Huntress’. You think she’s real?”

“That’s the one, and I don’t know,” Lionheart said with a wave of his hands. He looked up at her. “Why are you asking me, shouldn’t you know more? After all, it was your man that was caught up–” Lionheart stopped dead and paused. “You _do_ know more!” he said.

Cinder looked towards the windows. “Do you know why our Queen assigned me here?” she asked, almost indifferently. “This time around that is?”

“You… you’re hunting for Ozpin’s guardian. For Miss Nikos.”

Cinder turned her full gaze upon Lionheart. “And I _found_ her!” she said.

Lionheart looked at her for a moment in incomprehension, before a troubled look passed over his face. “Wait, you can’t mean…?”

“I do,” Cinder said, leaning forwards. “I’ve met her. This lone attacker the police are looking for? The one the White Fang now fears? She’s _Pyrrha Nikos_.”

Lionheart’s jaw dropped as he paled once more. “Ozpin's guardian? The champion? She's the Red Huntress?!” he gabbled.

“ _Think_ , Lionheart. You saw her tear that little girl apart in a live broadcast to the entire world. You've already _seen_ what she's capable of. She's been doing the same thing here in Mistral. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

“What was Ozpin thinking choosing someone like _that_?!” he gasped. “Does Qrow know?”

“I can’t say, but I’m sure he suspects by now. He's looking for her, and he's not without a certain native cunning. And you know he already mistrusts you: how much has he told you of anything since arriving in Mistral? And it's the rest of _her_ team that he brought with him.”

“ _Her_ team?” he muttered, with an ashen expression.

Cinder came around the desk to stand next to him, and leaned in. “Do you know what she's been doing?” she whispered in his ear. “I can tell you. She's been killing _anybody_ she feels is connected to the fall of Beacon. Anybody she can get her hands on. Never mind what Qrow would do. You’ve read the reports on the attacks, the descriptions of the bodies left behind. Imagine what she'll do if she finds out what _you_ did.”

"You... you won't tell her?!" Lionheart cried.

“I? Of course not!” Cinder laughed scornfully, as she moved away. “She wants to kill me too. But you,” she turned, pointing toward him, “helped me get into Beacon. She might put two and two together. She might talk to Qrow. And once she even suspects your role, she won't stop to ask questions. She'll come for _you_ , and nothing you can do or say will be able to stop her. _I_ am the _only_ one who can stand in her way.”

“You've got to help me!” Lionheart said in near panic. “I _helped_ you, I was offered guarantees–“

“And I want to, Leonardo, I do,” Cinder replied, cutting him off. “We may not like each other, but you've been a loyal and useful servant of our Queen. But I don't know where she is,” she said, gesturing around her in a twirl. “Nikos has kept herself and her deeds hidden, covered beneath a cloak of anonymity. Until she's flushed out, I _can't_ stop her. Can't stop her from reaching her next target.”

She turned back towards him and walked closer again. “But you could help flush her out. The police are already looking for the Red Huntress. You're on the Council, you have contacts. You could let them know who she truly is. Rob her of her cloak, her ability to hide in the shadows. Help me help you. Allow me to stop her before she reaches her next. unfortunate. victim,” Cinder said, prodding at him with her finger.

Lionheart took a breath and slowly exhaled. “Alright,” he said faintly. “There might be something I can do.”

Cinder Fall smiled.

####  _Lodgings in Mistral_

Ruby sat quietly in the bedroom. She should be training with the others, she knew. There were only a few hours of daylight left, and who knew what would happen tomorrow night? And she would rejoin them, in just a moment. She just needed a few minutes alone,

“Hey, kiddo, how are you holding up?”

She turned to see her Uncle Qrow by the door. “I’m okay,” she replied, forcing a smile on her face.

Qrow tilted his head at her and walked into the room. Sitting down beside her, he threw an arm across her shoulder and hugged her.

“I don’t think even Zwei would be fooled by that smile,” he said, to a slight giggle from Ruby. “What’s up? I know you like to stay cheerful, but it’s better out than in.”

Ruby remained silent, unsure as to whether she would speak. She felt the instinct to lock things away. She needed to be strong now, to support her team, her friends.

“You can tell me,” Qrow said gently.

“I was thinking about Pyrrha,” she admitted. “Just thinking… she was always so _nice_. But she’s killed so many people.”

He squeezed her arm. “I remember talking to you about this once. About no huntsman or huntress being able to keep their blade entirely clean.”

“You said it comes with the job,” Ruby said.

“That’s right. Not all monsters appear in the form of Grimm.”

“I remember you saying that. And I believe you.”

After all, people had died when she and team RWBY had fought against them. Those White Fang they’d knocked off the train trying to stop the Breach can’t all have escaped the following Grimm. And there was Roman Torchwick; she may not have swung the blade, but if they hadn’t been fighting atop of General Ironwood’s hijacked airship, he wouldn’t have been eaten by a passing Griffon. But this felt different. She’d fought to save life, and she’d never killed anyone directly, never intentionally taken a human or Faunus life. And on such a scale?

“But this feels different?” Qrow asked.

“Yeah,” Ruby said. “I know what fighting can do. And my team have done more fighting than most first years. But it still feels different. We’ve… we’ve never done it deliberately. Well, except perhaps Blake and now I’d be afraid to ask her. And… so many?”

“I’m sorry, pipsqueak,” Qrow said. “And I don’t know what to tell you. Hopefully you’ll never face that moment, but it’s a line many huntsmen and huntresses end up having to cross. You friend’s not the only one, even if few do it so swiftly.”

“Like who?” Ruby asked.

Qrow looked back at her with a meaningful glance.

“You mean…” she pointed hesitantly at him.

“That’s right. Some with less cause, too. I can’t say it’s an easy experience; it’s not one I’d wish on anyone.”

“How do you…?”

“Cope?” he asked.

Ruby nodded.

He barked a short laugh. “I’m not sure that I do. But there’s things that help. Working for Ozpin’s given me a place, a hope than I’m doing some good. And I had friends: your mom and your dad. And then there’s you girls, my family. You mean more to me than you can possibly realise.”

Ruby threw her arms around her uncle, tears in her eyes.

“Hey,” he settled her.

“We love you.”

“I know. And I love you all too.”

Ruby sniffled for a few moments, before her mind moved back on target. “But what about Pyrrha? How do we help her?”

“Well, like I said, my friends helped me. First, we need to find her. But once we find her, be there for her. From everything I’ve seen and heard, I'm sure she's hurting. Hurting a lot. And what’s she’s going through won’t solve that. But friends and loved ones can help.”

“Thanks Uncle Qrow,” Ruby said.

They sat quietly for a few minutes, Ruby simply enjoying the company.

“Ruby,” Qrow eventually said. “There’s… something else I’ve been meaning to speak to you about.”

“What is it?”

“Our fight against Tyrian. You kept jumping in, though I told you not to. I’ve told you about my semblance.”

“I know,” Ruby replied.

“I can’t control who’s affected by my misfortune. Which is fine if it’s someone like him, but if you get too close in a fight… then it’s you. It did affect you. We were just, well, _lucky_ – seems like the wrong word but I can’t think of any better – that it wasn’t anything more.”

“I’m sorry,” Ruby said.

“Now don’t be like that,” Qrow said, ruffling her hair. “I know you meant well. But what I want to know is why you did it.”

“I… I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing!” Ruby said in a rush. “I couldn’t stand by and let you and everyone else down!”

“Ruby,” he said gently. “Do you think you’ve let _anyone_ down?”

She looked at him with tears in her eyes, unable to voice the thoughts in her heart. Of Penny, of Jaune, of Beacon, of Yang, of so many others.

Qrow cleared his throat. “Your friend, the one who…”

“Penny? Jaune?”

“The latter.”

“I just think… if I’d just been a bit faster, he’d still be alive!”

“Ruby, if any of us were faster things might be better. I’d been hunting Fall for _months_ , and it turned out she was at the school the entire time. Why do you think it all hinges on you? I’m sure your friends have told you otherwise,” Qrow said.

“They have.”

“But you don’t believe them?” It was half a statement, half a question.

“It’s just… his death hurts. It hurt me, I know it hurt Pyrrha, it hurt Ren and Nora…”

“Do you not think your friends, your family, would feel the same if it happened to you?”

Ruby couldn’t answer him. All she could do was hug him tighter.

Qrow returned the hug for a moment.

“Your friend,” he began hesitantly. “Best as I can tell your friend had very little choice, not if he wanted to save Nikos. If he hadn’t done what he did, she’d be dead. Sometimes sacrifice is the only choice. But it still hurt all of you. It always does. We both know that.”

Ruby teared up, thinking of another face, one she could barely remember. _It had to be worth it, it had to! Or why would she have left them?_

Qrow’s face dropped as Ruby cried. He scooped her up and embraced her.

“I’m sorry, kiddo,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“I…” Ruby. “I want to be a hero, a hero just like mom. And heroes save people, right?”

“Ruby, you _are_ a hero,” Qrow said. “I wish I knew why your Mom didn't come back to us. But I know she would have tried almost anything to get back to her girls. I can only figure she ended up in a situation like Arc did, where there was little choice and lives were on the line.

“And perhaps there’ll come a time when we have little choice either. But don’t seek it out through carelessness. Like I told your friend Ren, don’t make your friends – don’t make your dad, your sister or your uncle – mourn you.”

Ruby buried her face in his chest. “I’m sorry, Uncle Qrow. I’m sorry if I ever let you down.”

“Ruby,” Qrow said tenderly. She looked up into his eyes. “You’ve _never_ let me down. You’re the best legacy your mother ever left us, and she’d say that too. It’s good that you have the desire to save and help people. I admire it. Just remember that there’s people who care about you too. And you can do so much more for people if you keep yourself intact as well. So just be a little bit more careful in the future, right? Take a moment to think first; see if there’s a better way to help.”

“Okay,” she said softly, blinking back tears. She sat quietly in his arms, trying to learn what he’d said. A few still minutes passed before she felt the need to stir.

“You ready now?” he asked. “If you feel up to it, we can get back to training with the others?”

She nodded in response. He let her up and stood himself.

“Good, I’d feel better if we can keep a couple of eyes on Yang. I can tell she’s frustrated about not going to the Academy right now and I worry she might break something. She was dangerous enough before she became a killer cyborg…”

Ruby looked at him for a moment but couldn’t stop a snigger as he winked at her. She playfully thumped him in return, before they turned and left the room, to rejoin her sister and friends.

####  _Mid-level retail district, Mistral_

A part of Pyrrha could enjoy the morning air. She’d become all too accustomed to an almost nocturnal existence, but she was still no closer to working out a way forward. Cinder was somewhere in this city, but unless Pyrrha wanted to walk into a trap she had no easy way of finding her. So, this morning she’d left her room early, intent on doing research somewhere other than the confines of her room. She passed through the streets largely unnoticed in civilian garb, dressed as she was in a long dress, with sunglasses and dyed hair beneath a scarf.

She’d made little progress. It was still morning, but she’d spent several hours poring over newspapers and journals for any clues without any result than enjoying the district’s cafes. Aside from the fight she’d been involved in, there was no indication of Cinder’s presence. Nor had her friends appeared in the news since their arrival. Even Haven Academy was little mentioned: apparently it was still shut, awaiting the return of its students in a few weeks.

It was Haven that preyed upon Pyrrha’s mind. Cinder had disguised herself as one of its students. How deep had that disguise gone? There was a connection to Cinder here long before Pyrrha herself had appeared on the scene, the same connection Qrow had hinted at. But what was it? And did Cinder have any plans here now aside from hunting Pyrrha herself?

Increasingly, despite her reluctance, Pyrrha felt Haven held part of the key. But she had no evidence of that, and if any existed, how could she access it? She doubted Lionheart would prove cooperative. And surely her friends had checked there?

And yet she still hesitated, reluctant to drag them in to this business, and reluctant to be dragged out. She would see this through. She’d come too far to stop now.

She was walking past a row of shops back towards her room. She could overhear a news channel as she passed by an electronics store.

_“…Council sources have so far been tight-lipped, although they have suggested ‘wide-ranging’ discussions will be taking place in the wake of the arrival of Menagerie’s surprise delegation this morning. It is confirmed the delegation includes the Chieftain of Menagerie, Ghira Belladonna, in addition to what an off-the-record source described as ‘other important visitors’. We hope to bring you more on these negotiations once a statement is made.”_

Belladonna? Was that a common name amongst Faunus? She’d never asked much about Blake’s background. On impulse, she paused in front of the window.

_“And in breaking news, the Mistral Police have made a formal statement on the series of attacks that have wracked lower Mistral.”_

Wait, what?

_“They have confirmed the attacks upon White Fang targets are the work of a solitary vigilante, the so-called ‘Red Huntress’. Recent intelligence has confirmed that this ‘Red Huntress’ is none other than four-time Champion of the Mistral regional tournament, Pyrrha Nikos…”_

The world broke.

The news continued to speak, but Pyrrha couldn’t hear it. She could see it, though, see it as it displayed footage from her previous fights, including that last, tragic, fight of the Vytal Festival. She couldn’t turn her eyes away as she saw herself fight Penny, as she saw herself…

She clenched her fists, her nails drawing blood.

The display changed, now showing pictures of scenes in various warehouses and factories that Pyrrha knew all too well. The noise began making some sense again. _“…the Police spokesman reiterated that – no matter the target – such vigilante actions are illegal, and in view of the brutality displayed in the attacks, suggest that Miss Nikos is likely to be highly disturbed and may be a danger to the public. If seen, members of the public are advised to contact the police immediately and to avoid approaching her.”_

She’d always wanted to leave her pedestal. She’d never imagined she’d do so like this. And yet this wasn’t an escape: she’d be more isolated than ever. She would no longer be separated by admiration and envy. Now it would be hated and fear. The pedestal would become a prison, perhaps literally.

What would her mother think?

The news droned on, but she dared not look around. She feared any response would give her away, that the merest glance from anyone around her would see right through her. Every whisper around her seemed to beckon instant disclosure. Any onlooker was potentially hostile.

She forced herself to breathe. Who would do this? How had they found out? She’d left few enough survivors amongst the White Fang to doubt they were the source. What about her friends; they were here looking for her. Had they betrayed her? No, they wouldn’t do that, she couldn’t believe that of them. Nor would Qrow; it’d serve Ozpin’s circle poorly to announce her presence to their enemies so publicly.

Of course. There was one person who knew she was here, who knew what Pyrrha had been doing. Cinder Fall must have contacts to Mistral’s government. Perhaps the same connection that allowed her to pose as a student of Haven in the first place. Now everywhere Pyrrha went she’d have to fear additional scrutiny. And if she gave herself up, or the authorities caught her, she’d be trussed up to be disposed of at Cinder’s pleasure.

Malachite. She’d though of approaching her again, but now more than ever, Lil’ Miss Malachite offered her the best chance of striking at Cinder first. She’d have to go soon; how long would it be until her room was compromised. And her hands itched for the security of her weapons, desperate to feel their reassuring grip. Combat, after all, was her only true home.

She had little choice left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: Happy new year to everyone! I was hoping to get this out before the end of the year but was a little delayed over Christmas. Thanks again for all the reviews and comments. The next chapter should be along next week, namely Chapter 15: A Maiden’s Choice.


	16. Chapter Fifteen: A Maiden's Choice

####  _Lodgings in Mistral_

“That son of a–!” Qrow punched the wall in his anger.

The trainees blinked at him in surprise, while Oscar looked on worriedly. Qrow had been helping him to train outside, and in fairness to the farm boy he seemed to be a quick study, and it wasn’t just a matter of gaining Ozpin’s muscle memory. Then Nora had called them in, something about a news broadcast they had to see.

It was one they had to watch alright, to see the Mistral police disclose Nikos’ identity to the entire city.

“Who are you talking about?” asked Weiss.

Qrow took a moment to breathe. “Who do you think?” he growled.

“He’s talking about Lionheart,” Ren said coldly, eyes still glued on the screen. “Lionheart’s on the council. If the police were about to make a statement like this, he’d have probably known.”

“Ozpin er… Ozpin says its worse than that,” Oscar spoke haltingly. “He says based on what we know, the police weren’t anywhere close to working it out. We could, but he doubts any of us said anything. But he says we know who else did know, and if what we suspect is true…”

“Then _Lionheart_ could have told the police,” Qrow gritted out.

“Ozpin says he would have known where the huntsmen who went missing were too,” added Oscar.

“It all makes sense,” Qrow sighed in frustration. “He’s sold us out to Salem. For how long?”

“How… how can someone even do that? Turn their back against all humanity?” Ruby asked. “Let alone a headmaster, someone Professor Ozpin trusted to defend against the Grimm?”

For all the surprises the kids had gone through, for all the hidden truths that had been revealed, Qrow wagered few things were as shocking for them as the sting of betrayal.

“People work for her for lots of different reasons, kiddo,” he replied. “As to Lionheart, I don’t know. He’d been loyal for many years. For him to turn to _her_ side…”

“So, are we really going to go walking in there tonight without a care in the world?” Yang asked, eyes simmering towards the red end of the spectrum.

“No Miss Xiao Long, we certainly shall not.” While it was Oscar’s body that spoke, the momentary flash in the eyes and the different cadence showed a different speaker had taken the helm. “While I think we’d best walk into it, we can most certainly take steps to be prepared. Miss Valkyrie, you have your Scroll to hand. Could you call up a map of Haven Academy please?”

As Nora pulled out her Scroll, and began looking up the map, Ozpin continued. “We don’t have the luxury of calling for help. Huntsmen are missing, and we lack evidence to get the police to act against Lionheart. And if we speak to them, he’ll be one of the first they tell. We have to catch him in the act. That’s why we have to let the trap take place. But we don’t have to be caught by it.”

Nora hummed in satisfaction, and laid her Scroll on the table, displaying a map of the campus.

“Thank you, Miss Valkyrie.” Ozpin looked over the map. “It lacks some detail, but it’ll suffice for our purposes. And no map has the most crucial details.”

“What details?” asked Ruby.

Ozpin smiled slightly. “I’ll get to that. But first if we are to foil their plans, we need to know what they want.”

“Us, surely?” asked Nora. “They want to take us down like they did the missing huntsmen.”

“I’m sure they’ll be happy of the opportunity,” Ozpin replied. “But they have more important goals than that. We know they want to capture Miss Rose, for instance. They’re also after Miss Nikos. But above all, what they want is right here,” he said, pointing to one building on the map.

“The grand hall?” Yang said, puzzled. “That’s where we’re going tonight, right?”

“That’s true,” Ozpin said, “the headmaster’s office is there. But there’s something entirely more valuable in the hall itself.”

“The relic?” Weiss guessed.

“Correct, Miss Schnee, or at least the entrance to its vault. The relic is their real goal. And we have to do whatever it takes to stop them getting it. It is no exaggeration to say that the fate of the world may depend on it.”

Silence followed Ozpin’s words.

“We didn’t see anything when we went to see Lionheart.” said Ruby after a few seconds.

“Of course not, it’s concealed,” Ozpin replied. “But you walked past it, nonetheless. It’s definitely there, I can assure you. After all, I’m the one who put it there.”

“What does this have to do with ambushing us?” asked Yang. “Why couldn’t they grab it already, or wait until after they’ve dealt with us?”

“For your first question, because they’re taking a risk if they plan to ambush us on the site of the academy itself. Too much of a disturbance could attract official attention and cut them off from the site. I have to presume that if they’re talking that chance, it must be one that gets them closer to obtaining the relic. For the second, access to the relic is guarded by two locks. The key to enter the vault is held by Lionheart. But to get to the relic itself–”

“You need the Spring Maiden,” Ruby remembered.

“Quite right, Miss Rose.”

“But then they can’t get in at all, right?” said Weiss.

“That _would_ be true,” Qrow said from his position by the wall. “Unfortunately, I handed her location over on a platter when I told Lionheart.”

“You what?!” yelled Yang in surprise.

“I didn’t suspect anything at the time, firecracker. I still thought he was on our side.”

“Mom’s not going to be happy about _that_ ,” Yang said, shaking her head.

“That’s putting it mildly,” Qrow nodded.

“More importantly,” Ozpin interjected, “it means Salem’s agents may have already moved against the Branwen tribe. Or perhaps they want to use either of you as leverage against them.”

Qrow gave a short, bitter, laugh. “If they think that, they don’t know my sister.”

“So, what can _we_ do?” Ren piped up. “ _How_ do we keep the relic out of their hands? If they’re planning to ambush us, the odds are likely already in their favour.”

“I wouldn’t count yourselves out, Mister Ren. But you are right. And without knowing precisely what they plan to do, there’s only so much we can plan in response. But we have two things in our favour: firstly, they don’t know of my own presence. Secondly, their plan likely relies on avoiding other interlopers.”

“But you said we couldn’t call for help?” said Nora.

“Not in advance, no. But Cinder Fall and Emerald Sustrai are wanted terrorists. Tyrian Callows is a serial killer believed to be dead. If they are seen on the academy grounds, we will get all the aid we need to secure the site. Thus we walk into the trap, yes, but _we don’t stay in it_. We break off, create a disturbance and call for help.” Ozpin turned to look more directly at Qrow. “The trick will be keeping an eye on the vault if there _is_ any chance of them getting immediate access to it. It does little good to secure the site if they can steal the relic out from it first. _That_ , we will have to play by ear.”

Qrow nodded. It was very far from ideal, but he couldn’t think of much better at this stage. Unless they went with Yang’s idea, but that could backfire. He could see the kids, some more reluctantly than others, coming around to the plan too.

“Considering what she’s gone up against, I can’t help but wish that we’d found Nikos so we’d have her help on this one too,” he said.

“Perhaps,” Ozpin replied, “but considering all that rests on her survival, part of me is glad if she’s at a distance. If things go wrong, we don’t want a second relic at risk.” He paused for a moment, caught in thought, before turning again towards Qrow. “Oscar’s pointed out that Lionheart might get suspicious if you don’t call him to complain. Can you give him an authentic-sounding angry call?”

“No worries there, Oz,” Qrow growled. “I won’t be acting.”

####  _Haven Academy_

“I’m sorry, Qrow, I can’t do anything! If you suspected her role in all this, why didn’t you come to me? We could have arranged something!” Lionheart paused, wincing a little as he listened to whatever words were coming through the Scroll. “With respect, did Ozpin know what she was when he chose her?! My hands are tied, I’m not the one who launched those attacks. Now I must get going, I have an urgent council meeting to attend. I’ll speak to you tonight.”

Lionheart closed his Scroll and sighed. He placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose and then leaned forwards, resting his head against his arm, ignoring the other two individuals in the room. Emerald, leaning against the wall, simply rolled her eyes and remained silent. On the other side of the room, the tall, black-haired woman clad in red-and-black armour was more curious.

“An unpleasant call?” she asked.

“Your brother, as I’m sure you guessed,” Lionheart said. As she raised an eyebrow he continued. “He’s angry about Miss Nikos’ name being revealed… And he’s right to be. It’s another line I’ve crossed.”

“If she’s strong, she’ll survive,” Raven replied offhandedly. She then glanced at Lionheart’s pale expression and tilted her head. “Though it looks like you don’t think that will bode well for you?”

“That’s hardly important!” Lionheart hissed. “We’re helping _her_. And I’ve crossed so many lines: The huntsmen I’ve sold out, now Ozpin’s guardian, as unhinged as she may be. And tonight, Qrow and his students are going to walk into an ambush I lured them into!” He placed in his head in his hands. “How did it come to this? Where do I go from here?”

Emerald looked on with interest from her wall.

“So, why did you do it?” Raven asked. “Why betray Oz? What does Salem have on you?”

“I’m going it for the same reason you are,” he replied. “We… we can’t stop her. No one can.”

“You’re afraid,” Raven said with a sneer.

“Of course I am!” he shot back. “Aren’t you?”

“I’m not _afraid_ , I’m smart. Salem can’t be defeated. That’s why I left when I did. There’s no shame in doing what it takes to survive.”

Lionheart looked up at her. “Is that what you tell yourself?” he asked.

The door to the office swung open as Cinder entered, followed closely by Hazel and Tyrian.

“Pleasant conversation, Lionheart?” she asked. “I did wonder when Qrow was going to call.”

“He’s suspicious,” Lionheart said. “He wonders why I let Nikos’ name get out.”

“Unavoidable, I’m afraid.” She looked at Lionheart with a piercing look. “Better she be found swiftly before she reaches anyone else, correct?”

Lionheart nodded silently. Raven’s eyes narrowed.

“Raven,” Cinder said, turning towards her. “You and the Spring Maiden will be here tonight, as agreed?”

“As agreed,” Raven replied. “Now I know Qrow will be on his way, the Spring Maiden will be here, I guarantee it.”

“Good,” Cinder acknowledged. “Are you planning to stay, or…?”

“We’ll back by tonight,” Raven replied curtly. Turn on her heel she drew Omen and slashed downwards. A red portal rent the air. She passed through and it closed behind her.

“I… I’d better get going too,” said Lionheart, standing up. He shrank as every eye turned on him. He turned towards Emerald. “I wasn’t lying when I told Qrow I had an urgent council meeting. It’s about these visitors from Menagerie. The Council aren’t telling me much over Scroll, and if I don’t go, they’ll want to know why!”

“Very well,” Cinder said. “Do remember to make it back for tonight’s festivities.”

“Of course,” Lionheart mumbled. He nearly fled the room in his haste.

The moment the door closed behind him, Cinder’s gaze snapped to Emerald.

“All above board, as far as I can tell,” Emerald said.

“Good,” Cinder replied. “Between the two of them, they control access to the relic. We need to limit their interactions as much as possible.”

“Nikos being unmasked at this stage could make things more difficult tonight,” Hazel said. “Qrow is bound to be on his guard.”

“It’s unfortunate, but couldn’t be helped,” Cinder replied. “If all goes according to plan tonight, Lionheart’s position on the council may be in some doubt. It’s difficult to be headmaster when the school itself has been destroyed, if he remains in the public eye at all. We had to take advantage of the opportunity while it still existed. Access to the Relic of Choice depends on killing her, after all.”

“As does you finally becoming the Fall Maiden…” Tyrian said in a mocking voice.

Cinder shot a quick glare at the Scorpion Faunus. “True,” she said with clenched teeth, “but are you saying you disagree with our Mistress?”

“Of course not!” Tyrian replied with a hint of outrage.

“Well then,” Cinder said with a smirk, “it serves both our interests to cut down on Nikos’ hiding spots before she hears of tonight.” _Before she goes to ground_ , she thought.

“Speaking of which…” Hazel said.

Cinder nodded. “You’ll liaise with our… ‘hired help’, Hazel. They’re not to give any sign of their presence until after Qrow and his band have entered the Great Hall. Then they can don their garb for the night and finish wiring up the explosives.”

“And Qrow and his party?” asked Emerald.

“We take them on together, as discussed.”

“Why not split them up?” suggested Tyrian smiling. “Divide Qrow from his trainees?”

“Because we need to keep an eye on Raven,” Cinder said, looking at Tyrian, “and cover each other’s backs,” she shot a meaningful glance towards Emerald.

“Of course, Cinder,” Emerald said, nodding.

“You don’t trust her then?” asked Tyrian.

“Of course not,” replied Cinder. “She’ll turn on us the moment she thinks she can get away with it, _and_ she has a Maiden in her pocket. Therefore we need to be ready. If she rethinks arrangements, I don’t want her to get away with it.”

####  _A Restaurant in Lower Mistral_

Pyrrha barged into the restaurant, her large holdall in one hand. She felt a mild sense of déjà vu, but the contents of her bag were very different this time. Only the need to keep out of sight held her back from donning her arms, but she needed them close to her now, more than ever. Whether Lil’ Miss Malachite could help or not.

Her eyes swept the room. The restaurant was very quiet tonight; few of Malachite’s lackeys appeared to be present. The woman herself was in her usual seat, the matronly blonde looking over some books while smoking with a cigarette holder. Her eyes flickered towards Pyrrha.

“Well, well,” she said, seeing past the large hoodie Pyrrha wore. “The Red Huntress has taken to using the front door again! Or should I say, _Pyrrha Nikos_ has started using the front door again?”

Pyrrha approached the table. “You’ve seen the news?” she said.

“I’m a businesswoman and an information broker, darling. If I don’t keep an eye on what’s goin’ on, I lose money.” She peered at Pyrrha’s face as Pyrrha came closer. “Yes, I see it now. You’ve done a passable job disguisin’ yourself, although I wager your best disguise was no one thinkin’ it could be someone like you in the first place.”

“I did what I had to do,” Pyrrha replied.

“We all do, we all do. What can I do for you?”

“I want Cinder Fall.” Pyrrha had considered asking for help in laying low, but in truth she was better placed to rely on her own resources for that. Better not to trust someone who sold information with her location. Besides, that would just be buying time. Cinder was already working on smoking her out. If this was to be over, Pyrrha aimed to cut off the head of the snake first.

“I’m sure you do, and I’d love to help you out, but I can’t right now. Give it a week, and maybe I’ll have something for you. I’d offer you somewhere to stay hidden, but I’m a little busy right now.”

“I can see,” Pyrrha said, eyes flicking around the room, feeling something was odd. “You’re a little short-staffed at the moment.”

“Yes, I am,” Lil’ Miss said, with some bite to her tone. “So, if you could come back later…”

 _Was that it?_ Pyrrha’s mind caught up to what her eyes were seeing. She sent a pulse of her semblance to anything in reach, one last check.

The only things that rattled were the contents of her bag.

“You’ve changed the cutlery,” she said.

“So I have,” said Lil’ Miss. “I thought you might be along, and I didn’t want any trouble.”

“You’ve spoken to Cinder.” Pyrrha’s gaze hardened.

“I picked it up from the news,” Lil’ Miss replied.

“My Semblance was hardly public knowledge.”

“Perhaps it wasn’t, but it’d explain how you took down that robot girl,” Lil’ Miss shot back. Seeing Pyrrha’s eyes were unmoved, she continued. “Yes, I spoke to her. You had me speak to her first. But you needn’t worry, I didn’t sell you out. I actually like you; you’re not what I’d expect from a celebrity.”

“Then what was it about?” Pyrrha asked with an edge in her voice.

“That’s none of your business,” Lil’ Miss replied.

“I beg to differ,” Pyrrha said, taking another step forward, dropping her bag.

“You’d better leave,” Lil’ Miss growled. “I’ll speak to you when you’ve calmed down.”

Malachite’s eyes betrayed nothing, but Pyrrha could _feel_ her henchmen closing in behind her. Did they imagine that without her semblance she was helpless? That it was a _crutch_?

She felt the air move behind her, and threw her elbow back, catching one thug in the gut. She twisted, throwing her palm into his nose with a crunch. As he fell, she dropped too, beneath the cudgel being swung at her. She span round, leg outstretched, and swept the other henchmen off his feet. She rose, grabbing his arm, and _twisted_ it.

A third goon looked on warily, a wooden club in his hand. He flinched at her gaze and dropped the club.

“Did you really underestimate me that much?” Pyrrha asked over her shoulder.

“Like you said, I’m short-staffed tonight. And I didn’t want to hurt you, just get you to leave so you could cool off.”

Pyrrha turned. “I’m afraid I can’t go anywhere. Not until you tell me your business with Cinder Fall. I’ll even pay, if you insist.”

“It’s not just a matter of money!”

“Then _what_ is it about?” Pyrrha demanded. One eye became wreathed in red flame.

Lil’ Miss Malachite looked on with surprise. “You’re like _her_?”

The flame flared up, but then slowly ebbed from Pyrrha’s eye. “I suppose in some ways I am,” she said after a moment. “But not in others. But I can’t back down on this.”

“Nor can I,” said Lil’ Miss. “I can’t sell out my own men, and this… this is far too big.”

 _Too big?_ thought Pyrrha. _What would be too big?_ _Too big and involving Cinder Fall…_

“It’s Haven Academy, isn’t it?” she realised.

Lil’ Miss remained still, save for narrowing her eyes.

For Pyrrha, that was answer enough.

“It is, isn’t it?” _Cinder’s aiming to do the same to Haven as she did to Beacon!_

“We were made an offer we couldn't refuse,” Lil’ Miss said. “Literally couldn't refuse, although it also comes with a lot of lien too. And as much as a help you've been, you're not invincible.”

No, she wasn’t. Beacon had taught her that in the harshest possible terms. Still… “I have to try,” she whispered. She picked up her holdall and tossed some cards of Lien onto the table. “Thank you for the information, Miss Malachite” she said, turning to leave.

“Wait!” Lil’ Miss said. “You don’t have to do things like this. I don’t want to get between the two of you, but I can see plainly enough that takin’ her on is no easy task, not even for you.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Let tonight be. Buildings can be repaired. I don’t even know if she’s up there. Afterwards… you can have her. She’ll seek my help findin’ you, and I’ll have her all wrapped up for you, at a time and place of your choosin’.”

“You’d turn on her?” Pyrrha asked.

“I don’t owe her anythin’,” Lil’ Miss replied. “And we’ve never lied to each other.”

“No, we haven’t.”

For a moment it was tempting. As their last encounter had shown, Cinder was her most dangerous foe. To be confident of victory, she’d need every edge she could get. Only then could she be sure of finally avenging Jaune.

And yet… if the academy was under threat, her friends could be too. They’d have least checked in there, wouldn’t they? If they knew it was under threat, they’d try to defend it. They _could_ be there. And Cinder was hardly the sort of woman to be content merely to destroy some buildings.

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye, through the window. She looked, to see a fall leaf fluttering against the pane. _Isn’t it a little out of season?_ she wondered. Her mind was caught back to another time, another conversation, another individual…

_Jaune would want me to protect our friends._

The thought came as though it were the faintest whisper, but the moment she felt it, it electrified her. She knew what she had to do. Her mind decided, she turned her head towards Lil’ Miss.

“That’s very kind of you, Miss Malachite, but I’ll have to decline your offer. You’d better warn your men if you can.” She began walking towards the door.

“Warn them of what?”

Pyrrha paused at the doorway and looked over her shoulder. “To stay out of my way,” she said.

####  _Haven Academy_

The quad seemed like it should be a pleasant place; a large open space, with a fountain in the centre and flanked by some trees and the two CCT towers on either side. In better times – before the fall of Beacon’s CCT – they would have connected Mistral not just to the kingdom at large, but across continents, to Vale and Atlas and Vacuo too. Most of the Academy’s buildings lay behind them, while the grand hall lay ahead. And yet if the campus had felt strange during the day, it now felt downright sinister by night. The buildings behind them were shrouded in darkness, while the grand hall itself was lit only with some dim light. That made sense, considering no one was here, and yet it added to the menacing air.

As they crossed the quad, Ruby looked at her friends. She couldn’t be sure, but she felt she was far from the only one who felt that way. Oscar looked particularly nervous, so she shot him a reassuring smile, but it was a reassurance she did not feel. Perhaps it was just the thought of what might be waiting for them. And yet she still found it hard to believe that a headmaster could turn their back on mankind like Uncle Qrow and Professor Ozpin said, as much as she trusted them.

Qrow led the party up the steps to the grand hall itself and opened the door to walk in. As they filed in after him Ruby looked around. The hall was a wide-open space, ringed by a balcony supported by square pillars. During daytime this had leant the great room an airy feel, but the hall was ill-lit tonight, throwing the pillars, the balcony and the steps leading up to them into shadow. The only well-lit part of the room were the features on the other side of the room, where a statue of a mystical woman in chains stood, flanked by twin stairways that rose either side. These joined together to form a terrace behind and above the statue, upon which lay the door which led towards the headmaster’s office.

“This is where you came last time, right?” asked Weiss.

“Yep,” said Nora. “Though it seemed a bit cheerier then.”

Qrow ignored the discussion. “Leo? Are you here?” he called out loudly, walking forward.

The door at the end of the hall opened, and Lionheart walked out onto the terrace.

“I’m here, Qrow, thank you for coming.” Lionheart looked at the group. “You… your group seems to have acquired a few more people than last time,” he said, with a weak chuckle.

“You know how it is, the kids happen to run into their friends.” Qrow continued walking forward, the group following him. “So, are we meeting in your office?”

Ren began looking side-to-side. Nora shot him a sharp look. “What is it?” she said in an unexpectedly quiet voice. “A feeling,” he whispered. “Like…”

“You’re… you’re armed?” Lionheart asked, ignoring Qrow’s question.

“Of course we are, _Lionheart_ ,” Qrow said with a harsher tone. “We’re _huntsmen_. Now, are we headed to your office, or are expecting anyone else, or…?”

“Right, of course! Sorry, I haven’t had my coffee. We’re just waiting on someone.”

“Who?” Qrow asked. “Someone from the council?”

“Something like that,” Lionheart muttered.

“Well, while we’re waiting–”

The doors behind them swung open, interrupting Qrow, and a giant of man walked through, closing the entrance behind him.

“It’s done,” he growled out in a loud voice.

“Oh no!” Oscar whispered.

“What is it Oscar?” Qrow hissed, but before the boy could answer Ren lunged forwards.

“Ruby, down!” he yelled, pushing her out of the way. As he did, gunfire and several bolts of energy fell on her former position, followed by an arrow that exploded as it hit the ground, knocking Ruby off her feet.

“Quick, up!” Weiss said, lifting her by the arm. They ran for the cover of the pillars, avoiding the fire from the walkway above as Qrow provided some covering fire with Harbinger. Ruby found herself on the left side of the room with Weiss, Ren and Nora. Looking across, she could see Yang and Oscar in cover on the other side of the room, where they were swiftly joined by Qrow as he ducked behind a pillar himself.

She drew her weapon, Crescent Rose extending to its full length. She looked through the scope, seeking a target on the opposing balcony.

“You sold us out then, Lionheart! After all you’ve seen!” Qrow yelled out.

“Don’t be too harsh on him,” another voice called out as scattered gunfire fell away, one Ruby recognised with a chill. “Your problem is that Leonardo came to see all too well.”

“Cinder…” Ruby whispered.

“He realised some time ago that he was on the losing side,” Cinder continued. “And since then, he’s been ever so helpful to Lady Salem, supplying all sorts of information. Entrance into the Vytal Festival was a special treat.”

 _He did what?!_ Ruby turned her scope on the terrace, but Lionheart had already ducked out of sight.

“Now boys and girls,” Cinder announced, “you have one chance to get out of here. Qrow won’t be leaving here tonight, and I’m afraid Ruby Rose will have to become a guest of our Mistress. But the rest of you are free to go if you so choose. Just give the word.”

Ruby felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Weiss, who caught her eye and shook her head firmly. She looked further to Ren and Nora, crouched behind neighbouring pillars. Ren gave her a nod, while Nora gave her a thumbs-up.

She knew she could always count on her friends.

“The _hell_ with that!” she heard her older sister bellow from across the room and head several shotgun blasts as Yang expressed her feelings with Ember Celica.

“So be it,” Cinder said, voice dripping with scorn.

“Why me?” she heard Qrow ask. He caught her eye from across the hall and began pointing with his thumb towards the exit. _Oh right, the plan!_ she realised. _Break out of the trap, make noise and get help. We’ll need to get past the big guy._ She caught Ren and Nora’s eye in turn and gestured for the doorway and to wait for her signal. Nora raised her hammer eagerly. Ruby took aim with Crescent Rose.

“Because I asked,” said a third voice, and she looked over to her uncle to see his face fall.

“Raven?! What are you doing?” he yelled.

Ruby looked over to the steps and could see a figure in red and black armour, wearing a Grimm mask. _The same lady as at Shion_ , she realised. _Then that means…_

“Mom?!” Yang cried.

“ _Someone_ ,” Raven replied, “told Lionheart the location of my camp and a rather important secret. _That same someone_ schemed to attack his own sister. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you, Qrow.”

“You’re working for _her_?!” Yang exclaimed.

“Yang… take the offer. Leave here.”

“No,” Yang said. “I can’t abandon my family.”

Raven stood stock still, showing no reaction. “Very well,” she eventually said.

Ruby had spent the time lining up her shot.

“Now!” she yelled, opening fire. The giant was struck by several rounds from Crescent Rose as Ren and Nora charged in. Yang charged in from the other side as Weiss, Qrow and Oscar positioned themselves to hold off the others. _We just need to take the big guy down quick enough!_

Yang was first to make contact, punching forward with her robotic arm as her gauntlets fired. To Ruby’s shock, the giant caught Yang’s fist with her hand, absorbing the blow as if he were a mountain. With a shove he sent her back, while with his other arm he caught Nora’s swing with Magnhild. He punched forwards, flinging her backwards.

“Nora!” Ren cried, firing with his twin pistols. He darted in, ducking beneath the giant’s swing, and kicked out. The man caught Ren’s leg, and with a swing sent him flying back towards Ruby. She ducked out of the way as Ren hit the pillar with a thump.

“We’re not getting past him in a hurry,” Nora said, picking herself up.

“Well, we’d better!” Ruby heard Weiss shout. She turned to see an ice wall Weiss had conjured smash apart, as a short haired girl in bandit clothes and Emerald moved forwards, firing their weapons. She saw Uncle Qrow once more fighting the scorpion Faunus who’d attacked her, ducking his blows while dodging arrows from Cinder. And Oscar was picking himself up from the wall he’d been smashed into.

Every instinct was screaming at her to charge in, to help _somebody_. But then she remembered her uncle’s words. _Is there a better way to help?_ They needed to get out of here but had no way out so long as the giant was blocking the door.

_Wait… if the door won’t work how about making our own way out?_

“Nora,” she said, “if I give you a jolt can you get through the wall?”

Nora looked at her, and then nodded. “Hit me!”

With well-practiced movements Ruby ejected the current round and chambered a lightning dust round. She brought Crescent Rose to bear on Nora and fired.

Nora went down.

The sound of fighting seemed to ebb for a moment as those who saw the shot looked on in confusion.

“Oops!” Tyrian giggled.

Nora rose, lightning crackling across her form. With Magnhild in hand, she swung at the wall, and smashed the wall asunder. The sound of the wall crashing apart rang through the hall as debris exploded out into the quad outside, leaving a sizeable hole in the outside wall.

“Come on!” Ruby cried, pulling Weiss and beckoning to the new exit.

Raven looked on in frustration at the fight. She hadn’t expected Qrow to just waltz into Cinder’s ambush like a fool. Now they were trapped here, all in one place. Raven needed to sure the eyes of at least some of Salem’s followers were elsewhere, lest word get back to their Mistress. Unless she could split them up, she’d have to ‘trust’ in Salem’s offer. As if she trusted that witch any more than she did Ozpin.

Vernal had charged forwards, alongside Cinder’s little underling, and were putting pressure on the Schnee girl. Qrow was fighting Salem’s pet psychopath, while Raven held back on the pretence of not crowding him. The others were trying vainly to fight Hazel.

Then she saw little Rose point her outsized monster of a gun at one of her friends and fire.

_What was the girl doing?_

When the girl rose, crackling with power, she realised. She remembered the hellion her tribe had fought at Shion. She moved forward, ready to seize the opportunity.

With a crack, the girl’s hammer plowed into the wall and opened a way outside. Little Rose and her friends dashed for the exit, leaping through the hole. Raven darted in, drawing Omen, knowing this was her chance. She brought Omen down… right into Qrow’s path.

“Going somewhere, brother?” she asked.

“We’re not family!” he spat, his sword raised. “Not if you stand with her!”

“You’ve given me very little choice,” Raven replied, one eye on the rest of the hall. To her satisfaction, she saw Cinder grimace, before she yelled and pointed at the new exit.

“Hazel, get after them!” Cinder ordered.

 _That’s one out the way_.

Qrow launched a strike with his sword, one she safely parried. Even without her little secret, she was confident she could best him, but of course that wasn’t quite the plan. Not that she could tell him that.

She noticed that not all of Little Rose’s friends had made it out of the hall. The young peasant boy seemed to be having an argument with himself, and Yang…

Yang hadn’t left either.

“Doesn’t your sister need your help?” Raven asked her, as she dodged a swing from Qrow. She struck back, pushing him away from the hole. Tyrian moved to attack Qrow from the other side, but her brother managed to duck out of the way.

“Our friends are with her,” Yang said, dropping into a fighting stance. “I’m not leaving our Uncle.”

As the others closed in, Raven gritted her teeth.

They ran across the quad, past the CCT tower, towards the more densely packed buildings.

“Wait, where’s Yang? Oscar? Uncle Qrow?” Ruby asked.

“Still back there, I think!” Nora said. “But the big guy is after us!”

Ruby looked over her shoulder to see the giant leave the grand hall, before they ran into the cover of the buildings.

“We can’t just leave them back there!” she said, as they ran down an alley.

“Maybe they can get out another way,” Weiss replied. “The best thing we can do is get help!”

They turned a corner, running into a little courtyard, coming face to face with a masked figure. Without thinking, Ruby swung Crescent Rose. The man’s aura caught the hit but smashed under the impact, and he was sent flying across the courtyard where more masked figures were seen.

“White Fang?” Weiss cried as they ducked behind a low wall. The masked figures looked surprised, but then brought their weapons to bear and opened fire.

“They must be trying to destroy the academy,” said Ren. He peeked over the wall. “Wait, Nora!” He reached out and placed his hand on Magnhild, now in its grenade launcher mode. “They’re placing explosives. If you hit them with grenades, we could all go up.”

 _Create a disturbance…_ Ruby thought.

“Nora, can you set your grenades to airburst?” she asked.

“Sure,” Nora said, “but why? They aren’t flying.”

“It’ll make a lot of noise, get some attention!”

“Gotcha!” Nora said. Aiming Magnhild up, she fired. Pink trails arced upwards before detonating above the school in a series of loud bangs.

Ruby took aim with Crescent Rose once more and turned to see Weiss pulling out her Scroll. Well sure, now she thought about it, calling some via Scroll did make more sense. “Calling the police?” she asked.

Weiss shook her head. “I’m being called,” she said in confusion. She pulled the Scroll open and brought it to her ear. “Blake?!” she said.

####  _Diplomatic Quarters, Upper Mistral_

Blake sat on a balcony, looking out over the city of Mistral. The accommodation the Mistral Council was hosting them in was more than luxurious, but Blake’s head was still spinning after the last few days. _Adam dead? Sienna purging the White Fang, pursuing diplomacy? This sudden trip to Mistral?_ She’d become resolved on the need to take bold action, but these sudden turns had taken her by surprise. She needed some space to clear her head.

Mistral was far larger and grander than Kuo Kuana, and as she looked out over the lights that glittered their way down the peak, she couldn’t help but be reminded of Vale. They were very different cities, and yet the sight reminded her of the view one could see from Beacon. She sighed, reminded of her friends, her team.

Without thinking she pulled out her Scroll. She went to browse through the photos, but on impulse brought up the contacts list, and looked the three names on the top.

She paused. _That_ couldn’t be right.

The CCT was down.

And yet all three contacts showed as having signal.

Were they here? In Mistral itself? How was this possible?

She went to call. Her thumb hovered briefly over Yang’s picture, but she held back. No, she owed it to Yang to explain herself in person. She pressed down on Weiss’ picture instead.

The Scroll connected and began ringing.

It rang some more.

Then it answered.

“Blake?!” Weiss’ shocked voice came through.

“Weiss?!” Blake cried in disbelief. “It’s you! Are Yang and Ruby there?”

Then she heard the bangs. The distinctive rattle of gunfire.

“No time to explain!” Weiss said. “We’re at Haven Academy, and it’s being attacked by the same people who attacked Beacon! And we’re in a gunfight with White Fang!”

“You’re what?!” Had Sienna been lying after all? Or were these some of Adam’s followers? Blake shook the thought, there was no time to go into that! “Never mind, I’ll get help! I’m on my way!”

Hanging up, Blake dashed from the balcony. She needed to find Sun, or her parents. Anyone who could help.

Sienna Khan paced around in frustration. The Mistral Council had been beyond surprised, but she’d expected that. They were flabbergasted to be presented with Adam’s head, and that more than anything had enabled talks to take place. But they’d been little concerned at any threat to Haven Academy, more worried as they were about troubles elsewhere in the city, their wide territories, and their closed border with Atlas.

She’d hoped that as a Faunus, Professor Lionheart would be more sympathetic, but he’d been more dismissive than they all. And his very manner, cringing as it was, got under her skin…

Her musings were broken as Blake ran into the room. She stopped when she saw Sienna, but then made to walk past her.

“Blake?” Sienna asked.

“I need to see my parents, or Sun,” she said tersely.

“Ghira and Kali are in a video-call with some of the Mistral Council. I haven’t seen your friend, although I’m sure he’s hanging around somewhere.”

Blake gave a curt nod and turned away, but Sienna called out.

“Wait, what is it Blake?” Seeing Blake’s feline ears flatten fuelled her suspicions. “Something’s bothering you. You never know, I may be able to help.”

Blake stared at her for a moment, eyes narrowed, before she responded. “My teammates are at Haven academy and are being attacked. By White Fang.”

Sienna Khan was still for second, before she exploded. “Those _bastards!_ I _knew it_! I _knew_ they’d pull something like this!”

Blake flinched back for a second, but Sienna took her by the shoulder. “We’ll get your parents,” she said, and turned on her heel and began walking.

“Are they White Fang?” Blake asked as she followed.

“I doubt it,” Sienna growled. “But there’s only one way to find out.”

Sienna made her way swiftly through the corridors, Blake in tow, stalking towards the conference room. As they reached their destination, the guards outside blocked their path.

“Apologies Lady Khan, the Chieftain is in a private meeting.”

“This is urgent,” she hissed, gesturing towards Blake. Blake must have nodded for they stepped out the way and allowed her to enter the room.

Inside the room, Ghira and Kali were sat, facing a large screen, upon which three members of the Mistrali Council could be seen.

“Some sort of trade agreement may be possible, depending on how negotiations go with your, ah, former colleague. But–” The speaker, Xang Zemin, a bald man with a thin beard, saw Sienna and stopped dead. “Lady Khan,” he said after a moment, I thought we’d agreed to meet tomorrow?”

“This can’t wait,” she said. “Blake’s had word from Haven. The attack I warned you about? It’s happening, right now.”

Another councillor – Alexander Miltiades, a portly man of middling years – whispered off screen to the side, while Ghira looked at his daughter. “Is this true, Blake?” he asked.

“It is,” she nodded. “Some of them appear to be White Fang.”

Ghira’s eyes darted to Sienna and she shook her head.

“Is that true?” another voice from the screen asked, and Sienna turned to answer the third of the councillors, Akane Fusae, an older lady with greying hair but shrewd eyes.

“I know of no such attack. It’s possible some of Adam Taurus’ followers are involved, or it could be the human terrorists I warned you of.”

“I was told the academy was being attacked by the same people who attacked Beacon,” Blake added.

“And how did you learn of this Miss Belladonna?” asked Councillor Zemin, looking at Blake.

“My team from Beacon are at the academy right now. I spoke with one of them, Weiss Schnee.”

At the mention of the name, those on the other side of the screen broke into an argument. Sienna herself felt almost nauseous. _Damn you, Adam_ , she thought. _Must I really go to the rescue of a Schnee?_

“If a Schnee dies at Haven, how will Atlas respond?!” Councillor Fusae asked.

“But can we do anything?” replied Councillor Miltiades. “The police are overstretched as it is. If it’s a serious force up there…”

Sienna cut in. “That’s why I’m offering my assistance. I and my bodyguards are experienced fighters. We can assist the Mistral police in repelling this attack.”

“Against possible White Fang?” asked Councillor Zemin, sceptically.

“They’re either renegades, like Adam, or imposters. Either way, I can show once again that I mean business.”

A fourth figure came over and whispered in Miltiades’ ear. “There’s what?” he said, prompting another whispered discussion. “And no luck…?” he asked, to a shaken head. He turned to the others. “The police are getting scattered reports of a disturbance, including possible explosions, coming from Haven Academy. And we cannot get hold of Professor Lionheart.”

“If it makes it easier,” Ghira added, “I can accompany Sienna Khan’s team. And Kali can coordinate with your police.”

Councillor Fusae looked at him for a second, then turned to the others. “It’s our best chance at avoiding what at best would be an international incident.”

Councillor Zemin glanced at Miltiades, who nodded.

“If that’s acceptable to you, Lady Belladonna?” asked Councillor Zemin.

“Of course, Councillors. Menagerie is willing to help our neighbours in Mistral,” replied Kali.

“Very well,” replied the Councillor. “We’ll put the police in touch with you immediately.”

As Ghira and Kali dealt with the councillors, Sienna turned to Blake.

“You’d better get Mister Wukong while you can,” she said. “Assuming you’re coming with me?”

####  _Haven Academy_

Pyrrha leapt over the low retaining wall surrounding the campus and looked round carefully. Moving into cover, she peered around the corner of one building to see a bunch of men changing out of workmen’s outfits, donning what looked like White Fang uniforms. They appeared to be mostly human – Miss Malachite’s men she presumed – and she had little idea as to why they’d wear that garb. Yet as they pulled on the distinctive face covering of the Fang, she had a sinking suspicion as to where the masks had come from.

She moved further into the darkness behind a building, close to some shrubbery. She dropped her holdall and unzipped it. Step by practiced step, she began strapping on her armour, feeling its comfort. The Goddess of Victory, the Invincible girl; those titles were lies. But battle was her domain.

She took up Miló and Akoúo once more, and clipped Crocea Mors to her waist, before hiding the holdall in the hedge. She paused. She could hear gunfire now. She looked around another corner, to suddenly see pink trails arcing up, before exploding with pyrotechnic fury. As she saw the distinctive pink smoke, she couldn’t resist a slight smile. She’d recognise Nora’s handywork anywhere.

Last time an academy was attacked, she’d been confused, shocked, and ultimately rendered helpless. Now Haven faced the same fate, and her friends were fighting once more. But this time she’d help them.

She’d made the right decision.

She didn’t know if she could succeed. She was unprepared to face Cinder, if she were here.

But she had to try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: Apologies for the delay on getting this chapter out! Aside from other issues there were a lot of moving parts. And thank you again for all the reviews and comments.
> 
> While its importance meant a fight at Haven was always likely, I strongly considered having it start somewhere other than the grand hall, including an ambush outside, or possibly starting it in Lionheart’s office and the corridor outside. However, I ultimately went with the above, despite sharing the same initial location as canon, because the grand hall simply offered a logical choice: a) they’d want to keep the confined, and it being indoors risked less early alarms; b) it meant it would be easier to keep an eye on certain untrustworthy allies and their primary goal; and c) a location like the office and corridor may have been a bit too confining and hard to lie in wait (also Lionheart wasn’t likely to appreciate his office being trashed, though since the plan is to blow up the school anyway, that wasn’t likely to be a major consideration).
> 
> The signal checking thing appears to be a feature that Scrolls have; when Jaune calls Ruby as they’re approaching Argus, he tells her he’d been checking for her signal, and in turn she can see his on her Scroll. Since the Scroll network is functioning in Mistral itself, it dawned on me that Blake would be able to see RW_Y’s signal too.
> 
> The next chapter will (likely to no one’s surprise) have a lot of action, so I hope you’ll join us next time for Chapter 16: A Maiden’s Destiny.


	17. Chapter Sixteen: A Maiden's Destiny

####  _The Grand Hall, Haven Academy_

Qrow ducked as the glass sword passed over him, before twisting to knock aside a scorpion’s sting with Harbinger. He was defending so frantically he had little hope of being able to get an attack in himself, only able to launch the occasional desperate strike when luck permitted. He’d managed to pull away from Yang and Oscar so he could amplify his semblance, but against so many skilled opponents it wasn’t enough. He was pretty sure Raven was holding back; Cinder and Tyrian, however, were _not_.

He hoped the kids were managing to get help, but there was no chance it’d arrive in time. His aura was on the verge of giving out, Yang wasn’t doing much better. Oscar had been largely overlooked save by Lionheart and was holding his own. But that wouldn’t last once the others had finished with him and Yang.

Another parry and a fortunate slip, and Qrow dodged back to give himself some space, twisting behind the pillar at his back.

“No!” he heard Oscar cry. “You told me I need to fight for myself!”

 _What is the kid on about?_ he thought before he understood. Deflecting another swing from Cinder, he yelled out. “Kid, let him fight, or we’re all dead!”

Cinder smiled at his desperation, but he saw realisation in Raven’s eyes.

“Ozpin?” she said, pausing in her attack.

Cinder’s eyes widened. “He’s here?!” she barked in alarm.

“Yes, it’s him!” Lionheart cried. “He has his weapon!”

His attention diverted from the farm boy, Lionheart missed the flash of light from his eyes. Missed the cane swinging round with renewed force. Missed the blow that knocked him off his feet.

Ozpin launched himself at Emerald, immediately taking pressure off Yang. Sensing the opportunity, Qrow dived away from an attack from Tyrian and rolled, springing to his feet. He ran towards Yang.

“Take out the door!” he yelled, swinging Harbinger towards Raven’s Maiden.

He missed as she flipped backwards, but Yang took the opportunity and turned on the entrance. With three blasts her shotguns smashed the hinges. Yang ran for the door and barged through, knocking one of the doors down. Qrow charged after her.

“Oz, come on!” he shouted, ducking another exploding arrow.

“Right behind you, Qrow.” he heard in Ozpin’s distinctive inflexion.

He dared not stop to look, knowing that the rest of their enemies were at their heels. He ran through the doorway out into the quad outside. Yang was just ahead, running past the fountain.

“Keep going!” he called as he ran towards her.

“Qrow,” he heard Ozpin say through pants, “with Spring… they can get to the relic…”

“I know, but we can’t stop them if they kill us,” he replied. He risked a look over his shoulder and saw Raven and her pet Maiden in pursuit. “Besides, it doesn’t look like they’re finished with us.”

####  _Dormitory Courtyards, Haven Academy_

With a rush of petals Ruby darted forwards. They couldn’t afford to stop. They could beat these little bands of White Fang, but every time they got bogged down, that giant caught up. No matter what they did, it all seemed to bounce off him.

She swung Crescent Rose, knocking a gunman flat. Their latest opponents opened fire, but with another burst of petals, she moved back behind a low retaining wall.

They just had to hold on. Help was on the way. Blake was coming, and the police were too.

Weiss caught up, her glyphs momentarily making her only a fraction slower. “How are we taking them?” she asked.

Ruby looked at their enemy through some greenery as they ducked into cover, avoiding gunfire from Ren’s pistols. As Ren and Nora caught up to the low wall Ruby peered from, she could see some of the White Fang retreating into the dormitory behind them, taking position behind the building’s windows, covering those outside.

“They’re digging in,” she said, “and we don’t want to stay still for long. Can we go around?”

“I don’t think so,” said Ren, pointing back across this courtyard, where another group of White Fang had appeared and caught sight of them. Ruby brought up Crescent Rose and fired, forcing them to seek cover themselves.

“What do we do?” she asked.

“Charge them,” said Nora. “I’m serious!” she insisted at the look of the other three. “We charge one lot or the other, or we’re stuck here in the middle! What’s the worst place to be?”

“Makes sense,” Ruby admitted after a moment. “Okay, we’re going to charge the dormitory. We’ll hit those in front, and then move into the building. Weiss, Ren, you’ll take the windows on the left, I’ll take the nearest window on the right. Nora, you take the door.”

The others nodded. “Got it,” Nora replied with glee.

Bullets started flying from behind them now as the group to their rear opened fire, but their auras could weather that for a moment. Ruby checked Crescent Rose, then decided to swap the clips for something special.

“Ren,” she said, “give us some covering fire, then we charge on my word.”

Ren aimed over the retaining wall and opened fire, forcing their enemy to duck.

“Now!” cried Ruby.

In one smooth movement, she brought Crescent Rose round, pointing away from their opponents. As she moved forward, she fired. The recoil propelled her forward with great force, the gravity dust rounds she’d loaded amplifying the effect many times over. She continued firing, speeding forwards, and then brought her scythe round, the blunt end smashing into one of the gunmen as she collided into the line, sending him flying against the dormitory wall. She quickly used her semblance to change direction and bleed momentum, appearing with a gust of rose petals beside another opponent. With a swing of Crescent Rose, she cleaved through his gun as he stumbled back. The weapon fell apart as he ran, and she sought for a new target, only to see the White Fang unexpectedly running away, including those behind cover at the windows.

“It’s _her!_ ” she heard one cry as they fled.

 _Well, that’s odd_ , Ruby thought. Were they that famous? She looked at the others in confusion, and saw they were similarly caught short by the unexpected retreat. Nora settled on giving a contented humph.

“Nora,” Ren said, “I don’t think they were talking about us.” He pointed behind them.

They turned around to see the other group had scattered too, the bulk having already fled. Some lay scattered on the ground, while a few last stragglers were in combat with an armoured figure, clad in black, bronze and red. Her features were concealed behind the armour, but Ruby would recognise the weapons anywhere; she was an enthusiast after all, one who held that weapons were not just weapons, but extensions of the people who used them. And now she could see Miló and Akoúo once more.

“Pyrrha?” Nora whispered softly.

The figure used Miló to sweep out the legs of one of her opponents, before smacking their head with Akoúo, knocking them out. She then flung Akoúo at the last man standing, catching him in the midriff. He crumpled to the ground as the shield flew back to her hand, and she began walking towards him.

Nora ran towards her, Ren close behind. Ruby and Weiss exchanged a glance and followed.

“Pyrrha, is that you?” Nora asked as they drew closer.

The figure turned and paused, emerald eyes glittering from behind the helm. “It’s me, Nora,” she said after a moment. Her eyes swept across them. “It’s good to see you. It’s good to see all of you.”

Nora flung herself at Pyrrha, to Pyrrha’s evident surprise, and caught her in a bone-crushing hug. For a moment Ruby thought she could see the ghost of a smile behind the helmet.

“We’ve found you… I was worried we’d never find you…” Nora said softly.

“Actually, I think I found you,” Pyrrha said. Nora laughed. Ren approached too, a rare smile on his face, placing a hand on Nora’s back and one on Pyrrha’s arm. Ruby couldn’t help but smile too.

It was Pyrrha who broke contact first. “I wish we had longer to say hello, but we have a situation here.” She resumed walking towards the downed man.

Ruby collected herself. “That’s right,” she said. “White Fang are attacking Haven! Though I guess you can see that. And–”

“They’re not White Fang,” Pyrrha replied. “They’re just criminals, but they’re working for Cinder Fall.” She levelled Miló towards the man on the ground.

“They’re not White Fang?” Weiss asked.

“No,” Pyrrha replied, as she pulled Miló back a fraction.

 _She’s not going to…?!_ On impulse Ruby sped forward with her semblance. She pushed Miló aside just as Pyrrha thrust it forward, causing it to just miss the man on the ground.

“Pyrrha! What are you doing?!” she cried in alarm. The other three looked on in shock.

“Eliminating a threat,” she said coldly. “If we leave them alive, they’ll try to stop us.”

“He’s down! He’s not going to do anything!” Ruby insisted. She bent over the fallen man and removed the mask, to reveal a pale and conscious face. “He’s just going to leave, isn’t that right?”

The man nodded.

“Go!” Ruby urged. “Get your friends out of here!”

As the man slowly stood up and stumbled over to his fallen comrades, Ruby stared at Pyrrha.

“That was unwise,” said Pyrrha.

“Perhaps, but it was the right thing to do,” Ruby said. As she caught the look in Pyrrha’s eyes her heart clenched. “Pyrrha, what have you been through?” she asked.

“That’s not important right now,” Pyrrha replied curtly, turning away. “Where’s Qrow? I thought he was with you?”

“He is!” Nora replied. “He’s with Yang and Ozpin. They were in the grand hall. We were trying to protect the relic!”

“Ozpin?! Relic?” Pyrrha asked, looking at the others. “But Ozpin’s dead!”

“It’s a long story,” Ruby replied.

“More secrets?!” Pyrrha asked, appalled.

“There’s a lot you weren’t told,” Ren said. “Much is new to us too. But the relic is important, and Cinder’s after it.”

“She’s _here_?” Pyrrha pressed, and Ruby saw the quick change in her posture.

“She is,” Ruby said. “She was fighting back in the grand hall–”

“ _Which_ way?”

“That way,” Weiss pointed. “But we’re meant to get help–”

“ _I’m_ help,” Pyrrha shot back. She went to go but stopped in her tracks. For a moment she stood still, her muscles tense, before she took a slow breath and turned back to look at the foursome. “I’m going to stop her. I _need_ to stop her,” she said in a gentle but urgent tone. “Will you come with me?”

####  _An Airship above Mistral_

The small airship rose through the air, the luxurious levels of Upper Mistral seeming to sink beneath them. Sienna could see the mansions of the wealthy and the great centres of Mistral’s commerce and government, much of it doubtless built on the back of the Faunus. Who would have thought that events would lead to here and now, taking a ride on a Mistrali police airship to go and defend the highest point of Mistral?

And yet events demanded it; Adam’s actions had made sure of that. And even if there wasn’t a need to clear themselves of his acts, what she’d said to him in their last conversation was the truth. Much as some of the products of the academies took their place amongst the oppressors, the Grimm threatened Human and Faunus alike. Sienna wanted a world which the Faunus could share and have a respected place in, and the academies provided the means to protect that world. Destroying them threatened that for everyone. And if defending them meant she could fight the group that’d sought to manipulate and ultimately defame the Fang, well that was all the better.

She glanced back into the cabin to see rest of their band. Her guard were here, as she promised the Mistral council, as were Ghira, a couple of his guards, Blake, and Sun Wukong.

“Are you sure about this, Dad?” she could hear Blake ask.

“Sure? No,” Ghira replied. “Do your friends need help? Does this seem most likely to get everyone going in a better direction? Yes. That’s all I can go on. Surety is a luxury we are rarely granted.”

Keeping a hand on the support overhead, she stepped nearer. “I’ve meant everything I said, Blake,” she said. “Although I’ll remind Ghira that I’ve not been _tamed_.”

“Far be it for me to think so,” Ghira replied. “But we do seem to have more common ground.”

“We do,” Sienna admitted. “And for what it’s worth… it’s good to work alongside you again, despite our differences.”

“We’re just coming up over the peak now,” one of the pilots called out. “Also, word from Lady Belladonna, reinforcements will be another five minutes. Redeploying units from the lower city is taking time.”

“Thank you, officer. Could you take us in over the campus?” Ghira asked.

Sienna looked back out of the airship as the pilot voiced confirmation. As the pilot said the airship had ascended all the way up the north peak, and was now rising over the top, where the two peaks were joined together to form the grounds of Haven Academy. Much of the plateau was clustered with buildings, although courtyards and even wider spaces dotted the grounds, culminating in what almost looked like a part around the CCT towers and quad near the centre.

She looked out, but could see little in the gloom, though the occasional flash and the sounds she heard suggested gunfire.

“Get us lower!” she demanded.

“Do it!” Ghira added. She’d noticed the crew were reluctant to address her, but if they’d listen to Ghira then that would have to be enough.

The airship swooped down closer to the buildings, the lights allowing at least some of their features to be seen. And then…

“There!” she pointed, turning to Ghira. As the airship descended, they could see uniformed, masked figures skulking around below. It was too far to see the details on those masks, but she could wager she knew what they looked like.

_The question is what’s behind the mask: Renegades or imposters?_

“We’ve got to go down there,” she said. “Take down anyone wearing a mask,” she called out, for the benefit of her guards.

“We’ll need a clear place to land,” Ghira said.

“No time,” Sienna replied. “Every minute may count. What’s the matter, Ghira? Been too long since you tried a landing strategy?”

Ghira grunted. “Get us as low as you can, and once we’ve dropped provide cover,” he ordered the pilot.

“Blake, I’m sure you’re not out of practice. Mister Wukong?” asked Sienna.

Sun rolled his eyes. “Hey, of course I’m ready!”

Sienna’s eyes went outward again, watching the campus draw nearer as the airship dropped down. Those on the ground began to look up in alarm at the airship as her fingers tapped against the hatch. “On my mark,” she said, eyes fixed forward, anticipating the right moment. “And… now!”

She threw herself through the hatch into the air.

For a moment it felt she was flying, her arms outstretched. Then, as gravity took hold, she somersaulted as she fell. She bent her arms and legs and landed, allowing her aura and limbs to cushion the impact. Without pausing she bounced up, sending her chain whip flicking out, knocking some of the apparent White Fang off their feet. The remainder opened fire as they shook off their surprise but were too slow as she ran forwards. Sensing the others were landing behind her, she sent the whip coiling out again, to wrap around another of the gun men. She jerked, sending him forwards into her fist as she punched hard.

She turned around, to see the others knocking the rest of their enemy down with equal efficiency. Blake parried a cleaver with her sword, Gambol Shroud, before dropping into a spinning kick and sending her opponent flying. Sun downed another with his bō staff, the impact triggering an explosion as he struck a torso. Between them, her guards and Ghira and his men, their opponents were rapidly subdued.

Sienna walked over to one of their fallen foes. A faint movement indicated he was still breathing but he otherwise appeared unconscious. She leaned over him. _The moment of truth._ She pulled off his mask, revealing a bruised and ugly face, one worn by a rough life, but also unmarked by…

“He’s human!” Blake said, having drawn close to see what Sienna was doing.

“It appears so,” Sienna said. She pulled back the hood to check, then looked over the body. There was no indication that this man was Faunus at all.

“What’s that?” Blake asked, pointing to a mark on the neck. Sienna pulled the collar down to see the mark of a spider in the centre of a web.

“A tattoo,” she replied. “It might mean nothing, might be some sort of gang sign if the others have it. She looked across to one of her guards who was checking another of their foes. He looked back.

“This one’s human too, High Leader.”

“Check the others and restrain them. And look for tattoos, it might be a lead on whoever’s trying to frame us.”

“Sienna!” Ghira called out, briskly walking over with a large object in his hands. She raised an eyebrow as he got closer.

“I do hope you’re planning on being careful with that, Ghira.”

Blake’s ears flattened as she saw what her father was carrying. “A demolition charge?!”

“Not the only one we’ve found either,” Ghira replied. “Looks like they were going to wire these buildings up. We’ll need to check the campus for explosives. I’ll tell Kali to have the police do likewise.”

“Have her tell them we’ve also confirmed the Fang aren’t responsible,” Sienna said. “They seem to be mostly human,” she added, seeing his confused look.

“Human? But why? They wouldn’t have fooled anyone once they’d taken off the mask!”

“I imagine they didn’t intend to get caught. They weren’t prepared for a real fight, and perhaps they didn’t expect to fight Blake’s friends either. Who knows, perhaps they had a few fresh Faunus bodies lined up to leave behind if they needed them?”

Sun blanched as he joined them. “They what?!”

“They’re gone this far in framing us,” Sienna replied, waving her hand about. “They don’t strike me as the sort to hold back from that.”

“No, they don’t,” Ghira said. “So, it’s as you thought. Now what?”

“Like you said, we’ll need to disarm any explosives, but we’ll also–”

They were cut off by the sound of gunfire.

“It’s fainter,” Sienna said as they looked around. “Sounds like it’s coming from the other side of the campus.”

Blake’s eyes grew wide. “My team!” she cried and charged off.

“Blake!” yelled Sun, running after her.

“Wait!” Ghira called in vain. He moved to go after them, but Sienna stopped him with her hand.

“Ghira, hold on! Someone’s got to deal with the explosives and coordinate with the police, and they’ll listen to you. I’ll go after her.”

Ghira looked doubtfully at her.

“I’m the one with combat experience. I promise, I’ll keep an eye on her. Better than I did last time.”

“You’d better,” he growled.

“I will,” she said emphatically. She turned to give chase, beckoning to her guards.

####  _Lecture Hall Courtyard_

They’d barely made it past the main quad before they’d had to turn to defend themselves. Once again, they were hard pressed. Ozpin might have his skills and experience, but he was still in Oscar’s body as he fought Tyrian. Yang was up against two opponents, one of whom was a Maiden – though Qrow had seen little sign of that – and the other of whom could mess with your mind. Qrow had kept an eye out, making sure to get in a passing strike or some other distraction whenever it looked like Emerald might be trying to use her semblance.

Of course, that meant more pressure on him. And he was facing Raven and Cinder. Raven _was_ holding back. Not much, but he was sure of it. But as before, Cinder wasn’t.

He ducked a slash, punching back with his left fist. Cinder evaded the blow, spinning to bring her obsidian sword back round. He flinched back, then had to bring Harbinger up to meet Omen as Raven attacked once more.

“Is this what you want?!” he demanded of her. “Kill me and Yang, so you can hand everything to _her_ on a platter?”

Raven gave the idiot a frustrated glare. Of course this wasn’t what she wanted! _You fool_ , she thought, _if you’d scattered, I could have made my move by now!_ She’d hoped for a chance when they’d ran out the hall. That’d cleared the path to the vault. But Cinder and her underlings had stayed with her as if glued to her presence.

If she turned on them now, she’d likely beat them. But could she be sure one wouldn’t get away? Could she be sure Salem wouldn’t find out that Raven had fought against her?

She couldn’t trust chance; her own brother was proof of that. She needed certainty. And right now she didn’t have that. So here she was, stuck. As angry as she was with her brother, she didn’t want to kill him, let alone Yang. But to hold back now risked all.

One save. That was her rule. And Qrow had more than used that up long ago.

Qrow stumbled back as Raven drove Omen forwards. He tripped backwards but rolled to his feet just in time to parry Cinder’s attack. He blocked one swipe, then another, then had to dodge another swipe from Raven. He heard a loud bang and saw Emerald go down as Yang punched her in the face.

Perhaps they could do this. Perhaps they could hold on just long enough.

Then Yang cried out as she was struck by a beam of energy from her other opponent. As his niece dropped, Qrow pushed back against Raven, but could not dodge a savage blow from Cinder. Reeling, he fell back as she struck again and again, the last dregs of his aura failing under the assault, until it finally shattered as he fell to the ground, Harbinger flying from his grasp.

“So Raven, this is what you wanted,” said Cinder, turning to look upon the bandit. “Did you want to do it yourself?”

Qrow tried to pull himself up, to fight through the exhaustion. He saw Oscar hurled through the air to smack against one of the walls of the surrounding buildings, the last flickers of his aura giving out. Qrow crawled backwards, clawing behind him, trying to reach Harbinger or anything else that could help him.

Raven did not answer but took a few hesitant steps forward, before stopping again.

“No?” said Cinder. “Well, I can do it for you if you wish.” She walked towards Qrow, placing the tip of her blade against his neck. “A word of advice; if you want something you should have the strength to take it when offered.”

Qrow kept reaching behind him, but nothing came to hand as he looked up at Cinder’s eyes. He could feel the point of her sword pressing lightly against his throat. All it would take is just a bit more pressure, and from her look it was just a moment away. He kept his eyes open, prepared to look death in the face, as he saw her smile.

A bronze blur flew into Cinder, and abruptly the touch of the blade was gone as she was driven back with a grunt. Cinder’s eye flickered to her new opponent as the bronze object, a shield, flew back the way it came. Qrow scrambled backwards as Cinder cried out.

“You!” she yelled with all her venom.

Qrow twisted round and looked, to see his other niece and her friends had returned, weapons poised. And there, leading the way, clad in black and bronze armour, was very one he’d come to Mistral to look for, her shield in hand.

“So Pyrrha Nikos,” Cinder said as Pyrrha advanced. “You’re here after all. Tell me, do you believe in destiny?”

“No,” Pyrrha whispered, raising her javelin. “Not anymore.”

With a cry, Pyrrha surged forwards. With a lunge, she thrust Miló towards that cruel face. Cinder leaned out of the way, then deflected a second thrust with her sword. In response, Pyrrha shoved forwards with Akoúo, knocking her back.

Flicking Miló into its xiphos mode, Pyrrha rushed forwards, slashing at her foe in her fury. Cinder parried her blade with her own and struck back with her clawed hand. Pyrrha span away from the Grimm arm, bringing Miló around in an arc. She struck into Cinder’s side, slicing into her aura.

Cinder snarled and kicked out, knocking Pyrrha back. Leaping forwards, she stabbed out, but Pyrrha knocked her blade aside with Akoúo, and swung Miló in another slash at her torso. Cinder danced away from the sword, then she twisted, ducking under another swing of Miló and ran up the steps leading to one of the surrounding buildings. She turned, and her eyes darted across the courtyard. They fell on Tyrian, then narrowed as she looked vainly elsewhere. She grimaced.

Her eyes locked back onto Pyrrha as Pyrrha charged towards her, firing Miló in its rifle mode. Cinder deflected the rounds with her sword, then with a shake of her hand reshaped her weapon into a bow. She drew and loosed, sending an arrow in Pyrrha’s path, but Pyrrha leapt, somersaulting over the arrow, before descending on Cinder with Miló, a sword once again, raised high. She brought it down as she landed, the blade falling towards Cinder’s head. Cinder caught her fist with her claw, stopping the blow. Pyrrha pushed down, but Cinder held firm, even as Miló’s edge began cutting into the Grimm flesh.

“Missing something?” Pyrrha taunted.

With a twist of her hand and heat, Cinder reshaped her bow back into a sword. She pressed the blade between them, pushing up towards Pyrrha’s neck.

“More than you know. But I’ll start by taking what you owe me,” Cinder said.

 _What I owe you?!_ Pyrrha screamed in anger, and smashed Akoúo into Cinder’s face: once, twice, thrice. As Cinder fell back, Pyrrha brought Miló down in another arc. Cinder brought her blade up to block it, but the glass shattered under Pyrrha’s blow.

“You _took_ from me!” Pyrrha growled as Cinder stumbled backwards. “You’ve taken from so many! So many lives! And for what?!”

Cinder looked up, eye wreathed in orange flame. “For _my_ destiny,” she said. Her hand blazed, and she threw the fire at Pyrrha. Pyrrha brought Akoúo up, absorbing most of the hit on the shield, but the force of the fireball pushed her away as she felt the heat wash over her. As the flame ebbed, she looked back over her shield to see Cinder had conjured her glass bow again. She threw Akoúo forward as Cinder loosed. The shield and arrow passed each other. Cinder ducked, Akoúo just skimming over her. The arrow flew at Pyrrha but, calling on the power within her, she sent a jet of flame of her own, setting off the fire dust within. The blast flung her back but did little damage, Pyrrha landing adroitly on her feet.

Cinder glared at her, hatred in her one eye, as Pyrrha drew Akoúo back to her hand with her semblance. Pyrrha stared back at her, senses straining, all thought bent towards her target, as she advanced towards her. Then, kicking the door behind her, Cinder ran into the building behind her.

Pyrrha dashed after her.

Passing through the doors, she saw a corridor, several doors to either side. A door down the corridor to the right slammed shut, drawing Pyrrha’s eye. She moved steadily, bracing herself for an ambush. Step by step she approached the door. Every muscle tensed for action, and then she kicked the door open.

It was a large lecture theatre, one given over to Grimm studies if she were to guess from the models cluttering the front and sides. She stepped into the room, eyes sweeping round. She had to restrain herself from beheading a particularly lifelike Boarbatusk. Instinct made her twist, twist just in time to meet Cinder’s blade as she sprang out. Their swords crossed as Cinder launched a flurry of attacks, forcing Pyrrha to step back inch by inch. She turned, allowing her to take the next hit on Akoúo. She struck back with Miló, their blades meeting again and again as Cinder parried each blow.

Cinder kicked out again, but Pyrrha was ready for her, bending out of the way, and then using her own leg to sweep Cinder’s from beneath her. Switching Miló into its javelin mode, she stabbed downwards. Yet Cinder grabbed the weapon with both hands and with a heave of inhuman strength, threw it and Pyrrha sideways.

Pyrrha flew into rows of desks, smashing them apart, but rolled to her feet. She rose, deflecting an arrow with Akoúo as she fired with Miló again. Several shots, and she charged towards Cinder again, flicking Miló into javelin form. Knocking Cinder’s blade aside with her shield, she thrust forwards, triggering the gun component to lend the javelin greater power. Cinder twisted away from the first blow, but was struck by the second, saved only from being pierced by her aura. Spinning, Pyrrha flicked Miló into a xiphos once more as she brought it round to slash at Cinder’s side.

Cinder caught her arm with her left hand, and then reached over with her human hand to grasp Miló. Drawing on the same semblance by which she shaped her glass weapons, she superheated her hand, causing the sword to melt and twist. Pyrrha pulled her arm back, but it was too late as Miló shattered. Cinder smirked as the weapon fell apart.

Dropping Miló’s remains, Pyrrha pulled her arm back as she brought her helmet down into Cinder’s nose with a crunch. Cinder let go and pushed, flinging Pyrrha back, as she shook her head and with more dust reshaped her glass sword anew.

“You can’t win,” she said, glowering. “I’ve taken your weapon. I will take everything you have, until I get what is mine.”

Pyrrha’s hand went to her waist, where her hand closed around the hilt of a different weapon. She drew Crocea Mors. Dropping Akoúo, she grasped the sheath, unfolding it into a shield with two golden crescents.

“Really?” Cinder scoffed. “You’re going to fight me with that weakling’s weapons?!”

“No,” Pyrrha said, wrath in her eyes. “I’m going to introduce you to your destiny.”

“Why, hello again children,” Tyrian smiled as he looked at Ruby and her friends.

Ruby looked to the side, where Pyrrha was already fighting Cinder, blades clashing in a deadly dance.

Tyrian caught her glance. “Well, I wouldn’t want to get involved in _that_!” he giggled.

“And who are you?” demanded Weiss, keeping her rapier in front of her.

“I, ill-mannered lady?” Tyrian gestured to himself, taking a step forward and bowing slightly. “I am Tyrian Callows, a loyal servant of Her Grace.”

“He’s the one who tried to kidnap Ruby,” Ren added.

“Kidnap! Kidnap you say? It’s a positive honour to be summoned by my Queen! You needn’t have worried. I was given express instructions to keep her… _mostly intact_.”

The others drew close around Ruby as he stepped closer. He walked in a curious crouching gait, one that allowed his tail to curl over his back.

Ruby looked around the courtyard quickly. Aside from Pyrrha and Cinder, she could make out her uncle on one side of the courtyard, slowly pulling himself to his feet. On the other side lay Yang and Oscar; Ruby couldn’t tell how they were doing. And Yang’s mom appeared to have disappeared.

“We’re not letting you near her!” Nora yelled, Magnhild at the ready.

“ _Good_ ,” Tyrian said, taking another step closer.

They needed to check on Yang and Oscar. And somehow, they needed to hold back Tyrian…

“Weiss,” Ruby said, “can you summon something big? And fast?”

“I’ll need a moment,” she replied. “But yes.”

“Ren, Nora, cover Weiss.”

“What about you?” asked Nora.

“I’ll be fine. Just be ready to act… now!”

Tyrian sprang forward, but Ruby disappeared in a cloud of rose petals as she sped away using her semblance. Nora blocked his way, already swinging her hammer as Ren flanked her, and Weiss dropped to a knee to begin summoning.

Ruby sped over to her sister first. “Yang! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine Rubes,” Yang said, pulling herself up. “Just some bruises and a broken aura, but nothing permanent’s hurt… I think.” She groaned as she stood. “Oscar?”

“I’m… fine…” Ruby heard a voice wheeze and saw Oscar stumbling over. “Having… him in control is exhausting. My body’s not used to it,” the boy panted.

“Okay, stay put and–”

“Ruby, watch out!” Yang cried, pushing her sister aside. A stinger passed through the empty space, as Tyrian attacked. Ruby fell on her side and looked up, as Tyrian gazed down at her.

“My, you’re a quick mover, aren’t you? It’s a shame your friends can’t keep up.”

“Hey, we’re not done with you!” she heard Weiss cry. Tyrian glanced to the side and then bent backwards, just avoiding the glowing white stinger aimed at his chest. He flipped himself backwards as the stinger retracted, landing on his feet as a spectral queen lancer, the image of a giant Grimm hornet, interposed itself between them. He tried to edge to the side, but the summoned beast fired its stinger again like a harpoon, blocking his path.

“Up you get, Ruby!” strong arms pulled her up, and Nora set her on her feet. Weiss and Ren joined them as they followed Weiss’s summon.

“You okay?” Weiss asked.

“Thanks to you,” Ruby smiled. _We can do this_ , she thought. Yang and Oscar, and probably Uncle Qrow too, needed time to recover, but between the four of them and Weiss’s summon, they could fend off this disturbing man… Faunus… Scorpion dude.

Tyrian tried to lunge to the other side, but again the hovering phantasm stopped him. The foursome followed it, weapons poised, as it moved closer.

“Well, it looks like bringing an extra friend worked out for you.” Tyrian said, as he backed away. He then stopped and smiled. “Good thing I brought one too!”

Sudden sound, and movement out of the corner of her eye, caused Ruby to jerk back and look to the side. The giant, their pursuer, leapt into the fray. She brought Crescent Rose round, ready to swing, but he threw himself not at her and her friends, but at the summoned creature. He landed, and with one mighty punch smashed his fist into the phantasmal insect. It broke under the impact and dissipated, evaporating in the air. Ruby and her friends reared back in alarm as the big man turned towards them.

“Hazel, good to see you,” Tyrian said. “Cinder’s become tied up with the half-maiden, and we have a missing bird. I trust you can handle this situation?”

Hazel stared at them with impassive eyes “It shouldn’t be a problem,” he said.

“Good,” replied Tyrian. “So long, children, the Queen’s business will not wait!”

As the scorpion Faunus scampered away, Hazel advanced on them. The huntresses (and huntsman) in training steadily retreating.

“I don’t want to fight you,” he growled. “Stand down, and this can all be over.”

“We don’t want to fight you either,” said Ruby, with complete honesty. “But we will if we must!”

“So be it,” Hazel declared.

“Weiss,” Ruby hissed to her friend. “Can you summon something else?”

####  _The Grand Hall_

“Won’t they notice we’re gone?”

Raven kept her eyes ahead as they walked into the grand hall through the battered doors. “Now’s our best chance. Cinder’s distracted. If we’re quick, we can get what we’re after and none will be any the wiser,” she said in a hushed tone.

“And your dau- Yang?” asked Vernal.

“If she’s strong, she’ll survive. Besides, Little Rose and her friends are there too.”

“Raven?!” Lionheart called out from the other end of the hall. “What’s going on?”

 _Time to use those levers I saw earlier_ , she thought.

“Bad news,” she replied loudly as she walked towards him. “Nikos showed up.”

“Pyrrha Nikos?!” Lionheart paled.

Raven was glad her mask hid her contempt. “The same. Cinder’s fighting her now, but things are in danger of going very badly.”

“Then what are you doing back here?” he asked.

“Think, Leo. What’s Salem’s biggest priority?”

“The relic,” he said. He shot her a puzzled look. “You want to get it now?”

“If Salem gets the relic, she’ll count it as a victory, whatever else happens. But if she doesn’t…”

Lionheart gulped, and looked away for a moment, then back. “You’re right. You’d better follow me.”

He turned and walked to the statue of the woman in chains. He removed his pocket watch and placed it in a circular recess on the golden chain. The hands on the pocket watch spun, and a loud clicking could be heard from a hidden mechanism. Then, with a grinding sound, the statue and part of the platform above it began to slowly descend. It paused as the platform reached the ground.

“This will take us to the Vault,” Lionheart explained, walking onto the platform. With a glance at each other, Raven and Vernal followed.

Another click, and Lionheart reactivated the mechanism. With a rumble, the platform began to lower again, descending slowly into a shaft beneath. They waited silently as the disguised elevator continued to go down, the walls of the shaft rising past them. For several minutes, the elevator dropped, a testament to the scale of what was hidden beneath the academy.

The shaft then opened up into a vast cavern. A great tree could be seen with orange flowers, situated on a large platform hanging over a chasm. As they drew nearer to the platform Raven could see how the way to the tree was barred by a rock wall, in which a large doorway could be seen. The platform continued to drop behind green railings, decorated with metal vines.

With a clang, the elevator came to a stop. Another mechanism could be heard, and then the green railings dropped into the ground section by section, opening the way. Raven stepped forward, accompanied by Lionheart on one side and Vernal on the other.

The path to the doorway was decorated by three successively larger circles connected in a row, each with a stylised flower symbol in the centre. As they approached the first, they heard a hum and the symbol glowed, before the whole circle lit up, emanating a strong cyan light. The other circles illuminated in turn, bathing the whole cavern in blue light, and the flowers on the tree could be seen to open. Orange petals fell from the tree and settled around them. Vernal attempted to catch one in the palm of her hand.

“Stay focused, Vernal,” Raven ordered.

They continued to walk along the path and neared the great doorway. It was far taller than any man, although relatively narrow, and golden in colour. As they drew closer, Raven could see the door itself was made of segments, like several great fans, and decorated with a floral pattern.

They stopped in front of the door itself.

“Only the Spring Maiden can unlock the doorway,” Lionheart explained. “She needs to place her hands on the door, and then it will open.” He looked towards Vernal.

Raven stepped forward.

Lionheart jerked round in surprise. “But–”

She placed her hands on the door. The door briefly glowed, and then – beginning at the bottom – the floral pattern began to light up. The entire pattern shone a soft blue light. It briefly flashed as the door emitted a brief tone, and then, segment by segment, the fans began to retract as the doorway clanked open.

“You’re the Spring Maiden?!” Lionheart spluttered.

“Surprised?” Raven said.

“But what about…?” He looked at Vernal.

“A necessary precaution,” Raven said over her shoulder. “Or did you really imagine that Vernal was any more an actual birthname than Fall was?”

Her eyes fell back on the doorway as it finished opening, only in pause in shock, as a vast desert appeared on the other side. Three progressively smaller stone circles lay in the sand, mirroring the lit circles in the vault. On the last and smallest circle was a small pedestal of uncut rock, and on it lay a glittering object.

She stepped through the doorway, and her boots sank into the sand. The sand was no illusion; it was real. She looked around her to see sand dunes as far as the eye could see, even beyond the doorway, which from this side appeared as a free-standing portal.

She took another step forward, and then another, eyes now locked on the relic in front of her.

Lionheart stepped through the doorway after her. “But why would you keep up the pretence with us, unless…” he stopped dead in thought, then looked back up. “Unless you’re not getting the relic for Salem?”

He glanced behind him to see Vernal in the doorway, her weapon drawn on his back.

“Your best bet is to stay quiet about this, Leo.” He looked back towards Raven; she hadn’t taken her eyes off the relic as she spoke to him. “Or do you really want to tell _her_ what you helped me do?”

“But she’ll find out anyway!” he cried. “We can’t hide this from her!”

“Why not?” Raven said as she approached the relic. It was an ornate golden lamp, with a blue sphere at its centre. She reached towards it and grasped it. Picking it up, she rotated it in her hands. _How does it work?_ “I take the relic, and we close the vault, and no one will know. If the others are still around afterwards, we can open it back up and look as confused as the rest. No one’s checked the vault lately, after all. Work with me, Leo. Your life is on the line too.”

“But you can’t hide that!” he yelled, pointing at the relic.

“Indeed, you can’t,” said another voice, giggling.

They span round but it was too late. With a purple sheen around his hands, Tyrian’s blades struck Vernal as she turned, cutting into her. His tail snapped forward, completing the bloody work. Vernal coughed weakly, impaled on the stinger.

“You’d better get going, Lionheart. I fear you have _much_ to explain to our Mistress,” Tyrian said.

Lionheart bolted, running through the doorway past Vernal and Tyrian, headed for the elevator.

“Cinder said we should keep an eye on you, and for once she was right. And when I noticed you missing from the main event, well…”

With a last effort, Vernal spat in his face. Tyrian wiped the blood away and, with a heft of his tail, threw her body to the side.

“Well, _she_ was no Maiden,” he chuckled.

“No. _I_ am.” Raven removed her mask, revealing both eyes were aflame with red fire. “You can’t beat me!”

“But _I_ don’t need to,” Tyrian said gleefully. “I need only make sure word get to my Queen, and once she hears, you’ll spend the rest of your life trying to beat _her_. And we both know that’s not possible.”

Raven screamed in rage. With her free hand sent a blast of ice at the scorpion Faunus but missed as he dodged out of the way. Drawing Omen, Raven flew towards him.

####  _Lecture Hall Courtyard_

Ruby flew through the air, before she smacked into the side of a building. She felt her aura shatter, before she bounced and fell to the ground.

“Ruby, you okay?” Yang said, running over to her.

“I’m good,” she groaned, pulling herself up. She readied herself to rejoin the fight but felt Yang’s arm clamp down on her shoulder.

“I saw your aura break, Ruby. You’d better stay back for now.”

Ruby opened her mouth to reply, but a roar caught their attention. Hazel had drawn two large dust crystals and stabbed them into his own arms. He bellowed as red light filled his veins, and his muscles bulged to an even greater extent.

“That can’t be healthy,” Yang said.

“It’s not!” Weiss said, joining them, panting in exhaustion. “It’d be toxic for most people. I don’t know how he shrugs it off.”

With renewed strength, Hazel swung his fist at Ren. Ren dodged the blow, but not the fire-dust empowered blast that was flung from the giant’s arm.

“Ren!” Nora cried. She swung Magnhild in a great arc. Hazel barely flinched from the impact.

“He’s shrugging off everything else!” Ruby said. “How do we stop him?”

“Uncle Qrow and I are almost ready to rejoin the party,” Yang said.

“Your aura’s barely better off than mine!” Ruby replied, taking aim with Crescent Rose.

Nora managed to dodge another blow from the big man, but another swing with her hammer did little to slow him. He caught her with an upper cut, sending her flying, though with a flip she managed to land on her feet.

Ruby opened fire, drawing Hazel’s notice. He turned towards them and punched at them, sending two bursts of flame in their direction.

“Watch out!” yelled Yang, pulling Ruby and Weiss down. They felt the flash of heat as the blasts passed over their heads. Ruby looked back up to see Hazel stomping towards them.

“Any ideas, guys?” Ruby asked.

Yang cocked her shotguns. “Fresh out, I’m afraid.”

They braced themselves as Hazel ran towards them, picking up speed as he charged. Yet from behind him, an object shot out and curled round one of his legs. Driven forward by his own momentum, he topped, falling to the ground with a crash. With surprising speed, he pushed himself off the ground and stood, turning to confront a figure behind him. His fist fell, and Ruby winced as the figure made no move to avoid it. Yet as he struck the figure it shattered in an explosion, pushing the giant back.

A mirror image of the same figure somersaulted and landed on her feet next to them.

“Are you hurt?” she asked.

“Blake!” Ruby looked on their long-missing fourth teammate with joy. “You came!”

Yang’s expression wavered between a smile and pursed lips, before she settled on a nod.

Weiss’s smile was slight, but unequivocal. “We’re good, but we’ve got to take him down somehow, and we’re all worn out. Any ideas?”

“No,” Blake said, “but I brought help.”

They looked on to see Sun Wukong leap at Hazel, his staff exploding as it hit the big man. Hazel swept his arm at him but was jerked back as a metal chain wrapped around Hazel’s neck and tugged.

“Remember me?” they heard a proud voice ask the giant, as a woman with tiger traits entered the fray, followed by a squad of others.

Weiss went white as she recognised the woman. “Blake,” she asked. “Is that Sienna Khan?”

“Yes?” Blake said a little uneasily.

“You brought the leader of the White Fang here?”

“And her bodyguard,” Blake admitted.

“You what?!” yelled Yang in surprise.

“It’s a long story,” said Blake. “But the police and my parents are on their way too!”

“Good,” said Ruby, brushing concerns aside. “So long as they’re all here to help, we just need to hold him off till more help arrives! Weiss, go check on Ren and Nora! Blake, help Sun and your new er… friends!” Both nodded and sprang away.

Ruby turned to Yang but stopped as Qrow and Oscar dashed over.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Have you seen Raven? Or her pet Maiden?” asked Qrow.

“Not since we got here.”

“Tyrian left too,” Oscar said. “Ozpin thinks they’re going after the relic.”

“What do we do?” asked Ruby.

“Hazel’s occupied, so now’s our chance. We’re going to check it out,” Qrow said, looking at Yang. “Firecracker, we could really do with your help on this one.”

“Why me?” asked Yang.

“I know it may not seem like it, but you’re our best shot of getting through to your mother,” Qrow replied. “I’m not sure we stand a chance otherwise.”

Yang huffed in frustration, hands clenched. “Okay then,” she said after a moment.

“But you’re all low on aura!” said Ruby.

“Then we’ll avoid fighting if we can. We can’t spare anyone else,” Qrow said with a nod in Hazel’s direction. “And that goes for you too, pipsqueak. I saw your aura crack. Hang back and keep your distance.”

Ruby nodded reluctantly, and Qrow ruffled her hair. “Good luck,” she said.

“Hopefully luck’s got nothing to do with it,” Qrow replied.

He nodded to the others. Keeping low, they crept out of the courtyard, Yang leaving a passing squeeze as they left. Ruby turned her eye back on the fight before her. She took aim with Crescent Rose, but couldn’t fire between Hazel’s fast movements and the allies in her line of fire. She glanced over at Ren and Nora; Weiss and Nora were helping Ren withdraw, but he was up on his feet.

She sighed in frustration. It simply wasn’t in her to hang back while her friends were in peril. She tried aiming again… and stopped as Blake passed through the sights. She didn’t want to shoot Blake!

She pulled back again, searching desperately for something, anything, she could do to help. She had nothing to hand but her weapon and could see little else in sight either. She was tempted to run in anyway, but without aura she had no way of using her semblance. She simply wouldn’t be fast enough to evade Hazel’s blows.

She looked round _again_. Suddenly she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She looked and saw Emerald was up, slinking away. Ruby aimed, but Emerald had already ducked into a building. Where was she going?

 _Wait_ , Ruby thought, _that’s the building Cinder and Pyrrha went into!_ She tried to listen but couldn’t make much out over the noise of the fight against Hazel. She looked around for help. But they couldn’t spare anyone else, could they? Resolve filled her, and she switched Crescent Rose into its more compact rifle mode. Weapon in hand, Ruby followed.

####  _The Grand Hall_

“Wait, where’s the statue?” Yang asked after they stepped carefully into the hall.

Oscar’s eyes flashed. “That’s the elevator shaft down to the vault,” Ozpin said. “It’s as I feared.”

They walked steadily towards the now vacant space. A soft whirl could be heard. Then Leonardo Lionheart rose from the ground.

He caught sight of the trio as the statue slid into place. Eyes wide open, he yelped and ran, slamming through the doors behind the platform.

“Now what do we do?” Qrow asked.

“He’s left the key,” Ozpin answered. “His pocket watch; it’s on the statue. Just take it out and put it back. The elevator will take you all the way to the vault.”

“Hold on, Oz. Where are you going?”

Ozpin’s eyes narrowed. “I think it’s about time I had a little chat with Leonardo,” he replied.

####  _Lecture Halls_

Pyrrha leapt, somersaulting over Cinder’s inhuman arm as it stretched out, knocking the desks behind her. She brought the shield up just in time as another fireball burst against it. The heat washed over her, she felt her aura crackle as it weakened.

She ran in, shoving Cinder’s sword aside with Jaune’s shield, and swung down at Cinder’s neck. She saw a flash as Cinder’s aura sputtered in turn. She brought her knee up into Cinder’s gut, and as she bent over slammed the shield into her head, hurling her back. Cinder fell against the wall, but caught herself, catching Pyrrha’s next blow with her claw. As Pyrrha pushed down once more Cinder placed her hand against Pyrrha’s helmet. Pyrrha could feel the heat, could feel the helmet begin to warp. She struck forward with Jaune’s shield, used the force to leap back. Her vision now partly obscured by her helm, she tugged it off, then used her shield to deflect another attack from Cinder’s claw.

Her armour gave her the edge with both their auras running low, but she couldn’t afford to turn this into a grappling match.

Cinder dashed forward, swinging her obsidian blade. Pyrrha parried; once, twice, their blades rang against each other. Pyrrha rammed Jaune’s shield forward again, but Cinder caught the edge. Slowly, far more slowly than her helm had, she saw the shield yield to Cinder’s superheated hand, her fingers pressing on the edge. Pyrrha let go of the shield, and with a left hook punched Cinder in the face.

Cinder reeled back, her face frozen with hatred. With a flick of her hand her sword disappeared, and she threw fire once more. Pyrrha jumped over the flame, avoiding the blow. But then Cinder extended her Grimm arm again, claws outstretched.

With no shield to block it, Pyrrha twisted and leaned, allowing the arm to stretch past her. There! There was her opportunity! She brought Crocea Mors down upon the Grimm arm, the ancient blade cleaving through the aura-less Grimm flesh. In one blow the arm was severed. Cinder screamed.

Pyrrha turned. Cinder had fallen to her knees in agony, clutching her upper arm. And yet Grimm stuff could be seen moving, forming over the wound. Was the arm reforming?

Pyrrha wouldn’t leave that to chance. Not while Cinder was incapacitated. She charged forwards, eager to put this to an end.

And then Cinder vanished.

Ruby hurried through the hallway. She could hear fighting now, from one of the rooms up ahead. She then heard a scream and ran faster. It sounded like it was coming from the door on the right. Ruby sprinted to the doorway and looked in.

She saw a large lecture hall, or the remains of one, desks and furniture broken and shattered on the floor. Cinder was on her knees shrieking she appeared to be regrowing her left arm, one made of Grimm stuff. Pyrrha was near her, and was frantically stabbing out, as if she couldn’t see where Cinder was.

 _Because she can’t_ , Ruby realised, as she saw Emerald on the far wall, focused on Pyrrha. Emerald had drawn one her weapons, a sickle, and slowly advanced towards Pyrrha. Ruby felt sick, felt every nerve scream for her to charge in, to stop this. But without her semblance there was no way she’d get there in time.

But she had a rifle. And she couldn’t let Pyrrha die.

She brought Crescent Rose to her shoulder and looked down the scope.

_No! No! No! It was happening again!_ Cinder was at her mercy, but Emerald had stepped in again. Pyrrha slashed out, hoping to catch Cinder, but had little hope in such futile attacks. And unlike last time, there wasn’t an ocean of metal for her to turn into a weapon.

She was going to lose after all.

 _I’m sorry Jaune. You died for nothing_.

And then Cinder reappeared, as several loud gunshots echoed through the room. Her arm reformed, and Cinder rose up, fury twisting her features.

Moving quicker, Pyrrha grabbed Cinder by the throat with her left hand, and then with her right placed Crocea Mors just under her rib cage. Howling, she shoved _up_ , driving the sword through the heart, as she clasped Cinder close, making sure the last thing the witch would _ever_ see would be her face.

She saw what seemed to be a last spasm of shock, and pushed the body off the blade, letting it fall. She paused for a moment, trying to take stock, before she saw what looked like orange wisps rise from Cinder. Suddenly orange energy burst from Cinder’s body and rushed at her, entering within her. Yet she was unharmed, invigorated, as she felt something within her become whole once more. The last tendrils of orange energy flowed into her, and she stretched forward her left hand. With sudden ease she willed fire, and a perfect jet issued forth effortlessly. She burnt the corpse before her.

She took a breath, before she remembered herself. What had happened to Emerald? She spun round, to see Emerald’s body slumped against the wall, the evident victim of several high-calibre rounds. She looked around the damaged lecture hall, only to see a more welcome sight by the far door.

“Ruby?” she called.

Ruby leaned against the doorway and simply stared into space, Crescent Rose cradled in her hand. Pyrrha walked over and called her again.

“Ruby, are you okay?” she asked.

Ruby looked up, some tears in her eyes, and Pyrrha realised what this had meant for Ruby. What Ruby had done for her. She’d grown numb to this feeling, but had Ruby ever done this with intent before?

She fell on a knee before her and hugged her. “Ruby, I’m sorry. Sorry I put you through that. But thank you.”

Ruby looked at her. “Did I do the right thing?” she asked.

Part of Pyrrha wanted to rush to reassure her. But seeing her like this, seeing a reaction that Pyrrha had never allowed herself – save that terrible night in Amity – prompted something.

“Why did you do it?” she asked gently, wondering if Penny was the answer.

“To save you,” Ruby said.

A tear came to her own eye. “I may be biased,” Pyrrha said, “but I think saving someone’s life is probably the best reason anyone could have for this.”

Ruby smiled weakly, though her heart wasn’t in it. “I’m glad I saved you.”

“I am too,” Pyrrha said, hugging Ruby once more. “I am too.”

They remained there for a few seconds, before Pyrrha stood. _Not much longer now, and this can all be over_ , she thought.

“We’d best be along. The others may need our help too.”

“Are you sure you can?” Ruby asked with more life. “My aura’s broken, and yours can’t be much better.”

Pyrrha felt the power respond within her, her eyes briefly aflame. “Yes, I can,” she said.

####  _The Headmaster’s Office_

Leonardo Lionheart rushed into his office, and ran behind his desk. He began searching through his drawers. _What am I going to do?_ he panicked. _I can’t outrun her, but will she believe me that this wasn’t my fault?_

An awful clicking echoed through the room. He looked up, to see the Seer floating ominously in front of his desk. Its tentacles lashed backwards and forwards.

“Going somewhere, Leonardo?” Salem’s voice asked.

“Ah, Your Grace,” he stuttered, as he moved around the desk. “Things… things are not going according to plan. Qrow escaped the trap, Nikos showed up. Raven, she… she tried to steal the relic. I… I don’t know if we can get it.”

“Really?” said Salem’s voice. “And quite how did she get access to the vault? You have the key.”

“She… she tricked me, Your Grace!” The Seer came closer, its tentacles writhing. “Please, Your Grace, I can still be useful! I… I can avoid the authorities and come find you. I’ll do whatever it takes!”

A tentacle whipped towards him. Lionheart tried to raise his hand to aim his weapon, but it was sent flying off his wrist. He turned to flee, but another tentacle wrapped itself around his leg and pulled, sending him sprawling.

“Please, Your Grace!” he begged. “I’ll do anything! Please!!”

More tentacles caught hold of him and pulled him towards the Seer.

“Please!!” he sobbed, as he felt the tentacles dragging him.

The doors to his office burst open. He heard someone leap, and a sound like shattering glass. The tentacles fell slack, and Lionheart scurried away from them. He looked back to see the Seer on the floor, evaporating into black vapour like all dead Grimm. He turned to his rescuer.

“Thank you,” he wept. Then he realised he was looking at the boy. Ozpin’s latest host… and those cold eyes were not those of the boy.

“Ozpin,” he said. “Thank you for saving me. I’m so sorry…”

He reached out towards him, only to feel a sharp blow as the boy struck him with the back of his hand.

“I’m very disappointed in you, Leonardo. You were once one of humanity’s champions, a role model that I thought huntsmen could look up to. I _trusted_ you. Trusted you to protect humanity. Trusted you with the lives of those huntsmen you helped _murder_.”

Lionheart averted his eyes, but part of him sought to justify himself. “You didn’t trust me that much. Those huntsmen were already in a losing war, a war you know they couldn’t–”

“Enough!” Ozpin ordered. He turned and stared through the office window. “There’s much I’ve done wrong, or badly. I’ve made so many mistakes…”

He snapped back towards Lionheart. “But I never threw lives away simply to save my own skin! I’ve never sank that low!”

Lionheart cringed.

“Don’t pretend to any high principle,” Ozpin continued. “There’s too many dead huntsmen because of you. And what did you get for it? _Nothing!_ You failed her. And now your _only_ hope for survival rests on me.”

The ancient in the boy’s body walked nearer, and pulled Lionheart’s face up to look at him. “So you’ll get to live. But it comes at a price. You’ll tell us everything you’ve told her. We’ll use you to put right everything you broke. And eyes will always be watching. And if I should get one hint of betrayal or self-serving…” He let the threat hang.

The wizard looked down at him. “Is that understood?” he asked.

####  _The Vault of the Spring Maiden_

If this psychopathic insect stood still, this would be over quicker.

She swiped at him with Omen, but he bent back to what seemed like an impossible degree, the sword passing over him. She swiftly reversed herself, and brought her blade for a down stroke, but using his tail he’d thrown himself out of reach.

She raised her to freeze his feet to the ground and flung herself after him. But he shot at the ice, freeing himself, just before Omen came down in a killing stroke.

Oh, she’d worn him down, his aura hanging by threads. But he had a nasty trick in his semblance, ignoring aura like that, and she’d been hamstrung while trying to keep hold of the relic. In the end he’d managed to make her drop it as she sought to pin him down.

She dodged a slash from his wrist blades and swung Omen again, catching him and sending him flying, his aura sparking. Yet he landed on his feet and scampered away, clambering over the green railing that surrounded the elevator shaft.

She heard a noise from above and looked up, to see the elevator descending once again. Had he managed to call it?

“This has been nice,” he said, smirking once more. “But it looks like my ride out of here has arrived!” He bounded towards the elevator as she ran towards the railing. She reached it as the platform reached the ground.

Qrow and Yang were on it.

Tyrian turned and grinned at her, his eyes turning purple as he triggered his semblance. His stinger plunged forwards. With a roar she swung Omen, infusing it with her power, smashing the railing aside. Tyrian turned back, to enjoy his latest victim.

Only to find Yang staring wide eyed at him, his stinger embedded in her metal arm she’d crossed in front of herself. He gawked as poison dripped in vain from the artificial limb. She shook, but pulled back her real fist as Qrow brought Harbinger up. Neither struck in time. Raven got there first, shrieking as she plunged her sword into his back.

Tyrian died with a look of surprise on his face.

Yang tugged her arm off Tyrian’s stinger, as Raven shoved the body aside and pulled Omen free. She looked at Yang with a look of disbelief herself. She fought down the feelings that wrenched her heart.

“You know, you can ask if I’m alright,” Yang said, with the slightest waver in her voice. “That’s what normal people do.”

Raven took a breath, composing herself. “We’re not normal people, Yang.”

“You can say that again,” said Qrow sharply. “Turns out the Spring Maiden is more closely related than I thought.” At Raven’s glare, he gestured to the railings. “That little stunt is proof enough. What happened to your decoy?”

Raven looked away, unwilling to betray any weakness.

An almost gentle tone entered Qrow’s voice. “I see. I’m sorry. I take it that’s the reason for the falling out?” he said, nodding towards Tyrian’s corpse.

“In part,” she replied tersely. She turned her eyes back on Yang, who was examining her artificial arm, and shaking her head.

“I don’t think I’m getting this repaired in a hurry,” Yang grumbled. She let the arm drop and hang uselessly by her side. “So, what now? I take it you’ve dropped this idea of working for Salem?”

“I never planned on working for her in the first place,” replied Raven. “And now, I get what I came here for.”

She turned and walked over to where she’d dropped the relic, plucking it from the ground.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” Qrow yelled. “You did all this to take the damn relic for yourself?!”

“You crossed blades with me first, Qrow,” Raven said. “But this was nothing personal. Thanks to the chaos I knew you would create, I figured I’d get my chance.”

“And what, we were just expendable?” asked Yang.

“I knew you could handle it, Yang. You’re my daughter, after all.” Raven turned her attention back on the relic.

“Which is it?”

“Huh?” Raven looked up at Yang.

“Which is it? Did you help ambush us because you knew we could handle it, or because it got you what you wanted?”

Raven’s patience snapped. “Don’t think you can lecture me! You don’t know the problems I face, the decisions I have to make!”

“Excuse me for not being understanding about my own mom working with people trying to kill me, because I could ‘handle it’!” Yang yelled back.

“I knew that if you were strong, you’d survive,” Raven replied curtly. “That’s all the matters in the end: strength. The world demands nothing more and accepts nothing less. I’ve survived this long because I am strong, because I’m strong enough to do what others won’t!”

“Oh, please!” Yang shot back. “You don’t know the first thing about strength! My dad, continuing on after one wife left him and another died, that takes strength! My sister, crossing a continent so she could save a friend; that’s strength! You run away! You abandon people when it gets too hard! You throw others into danger rather than risk yourself! You may be powerful, but you’re not strong!”

“Who the hell do you think you are?!” Raven shouted, so enraged her eyes were aflame with the Maiden’s power. “You think you can judge me? I saw you standing there, quivering, when that psychopath lunged at you! And you’re shaking now, like a scared little girl!”

“Yeah, I’m scared,” Yang admitted. “But I’m still standing here. I can’t say I’m not grateful for the assist with the scorpion man but, considering this is your fault in the first place, I figure that balances out. And while I’m scared, I’m not like you. I’m not running away… which is why you’re going to give me the relic.”

Raven’s eyes narrowed. “And why would I do that?”

“Because you’re scared of Salem!” yelled Yang. “Being a Maiden is bad enough but imagine she will do when she finds out you have a relic! She’ll come after you with everything she has!”

“She won’t know that I have it!”

“How so? Too many people already know! You think we can lie to Ozpin, that he’d buy that?”

 _No witnesses_. That’s what she’d told Vernal. And in many cases, she could do that. But not in this case.

“Do you really think Salem won’t figure it out when she finds out we don’t have it?” Yang continued. “Or perhaps she already knows? We saw Lionheart scampering away on our way down here!”

The psychopath had been right after all: he didn’t need to beat her to win. But there was still one hope.

“It’s the Relic of Knowledge,” she replied. “It can answer any question. Including how we can protect ourselves from Salem!”

“Very well,” Yang said. “Use it.”

Raven looked back mutely.

“Don’t you know _how_?” Yang asked.

Raven looked back down at the relic, as if she could will it into action. It was just there, doing nothing, with no visible means of operation. “Show us how to protect ourselves from Salem!” she demanded, losing patience.

Nothing happened.

“I’ll figure it out,” she told Yang.

“Really? You think you’ll have time?” Yang replied. “How long do you plan on having a target on your back while you try and work that thing out? How long do you think Salem will give you?”

Raven screamed in frustration, throwing the relic to the floor.

“Hey, easy on the ancient artefact!” Qrow said.

Yang approached Raven, speaking more softly now. “Or you can leave it with us, and she’ll come after us instead. And we’ll be standing there, waiting.”

“You don’t want to do this, Yang,” Raven said mournfully.

“No. But I’m going to do it anyway,” she replied. She walked over to the relic and lifted it from the ground.

An unwilling tear in her eye, Raven looked at her daughter. “I’m sorry…” she whispered.

“Yeah, me too,” Yang said.

Raven unsheathed Omen, and with one stroke opened one of her portals. With one last glance back, she stepped through, the portal sealing behind her.

Yang held the relic, as tears ran down her cheeks.

“Hey,” Qrow put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”

“No,” replied Yang.

He squeezed his hand. “I get you. But you did good. We can’t always choose our relatives. But this one is proud of you.”

####  _Lecture Hall Courtyard_

Pyrrha and Ruby had made it outside to find police airships overhead and the battle apparently over, their friends nursing their wounds, many barely able to stand.

“Wait, what happened to the big guy?” Ruby asked.

“He ran off,” said Sun, more than a little winded. “Once the airships came overhead, he cleared off. Guess he didn’t want to get captured.” He caught sight of Pyrrha and did a double take. “What the hell happened to you?” he asked.

“You’ve… not been following the news, have you Sun?” asked Weiss, limping over.

“Hey, we literally flew in this morning,” Sun said, both hands and tail raised. “We didn’t have time to catch the news.”

“Pyrrha Nikos!” a strident voice cut in.

“Someone did…” Weiss muttered.

A woman of dark complexion and jet-black hair strode towards Pyrrha. She glared at Pyrrha with her amber eyes, but her most striking features were her tiger’s ears and the tattoos of a tiger’s stripes she wore. Pyrrha recognised her instantly; she’d done her research after all.

The woman stopped in front of her. “Or should I say, the Red Huntress?”

“Sienna Khan,” Pyrrha replied. Her eyes flickered around the courtyard. Most of her friends looked tense but unsurprised. But Sun looked shocked, and Blake paled. And there were others too lying around, Faunus, who looked alarmed indeed. _Sienna’s men, most likely. Were they not already on the ground, they’d probably be drawing their weapons._

“Wait!” cried Ruby. “Now’s not the time.”

“No, it isn’t,” Sienna said smugly. “The police will be here shortly. Never thought the day would come that I’d be glad of that, but here we are.”

“No!” Ruby said. “I mean we still have to stop what’s going on!”

“My dad and the police are dealing with the explosives,” Blake said, joining them. “Most of the fake White Fang have fled or are being taken into custody.”

“But they’re not the biggest threat,” Ruby insisted. “What about–”

She was interrupted as a short but strong ginger girl barged her way into the group, grabbed Pyrrha, and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Nora,” Pyrrha greeted her.

“Cinder?” she asked.

“Dead.” Pyrrha glanced at Ruby. “Emerald too.”

Nora gave her a short, congratulatory, thump against her armour. “Atta girl.” she whispered.

“Guys!” Ruby yelled. “Cinder’s dead, but there’s still those that worked with her: Tyrian, Yang’s mom, Professor Lionheart!”

“Professor Lionheart?!” Sienna’s eyes glittered dangerously.

“Yes!” Ruby insisted. “And that Hazel guy. Where did he go, anyway?”

“He ran back towards the grand hall, near as I can figure,” Nora said.

“But that’s where Yang and Uncle Qrow went!” Ruby cried in alarm. “We’ve got to go and help!”

“Ruby,” Weiss said with a pained expression. “Most of us are in no condition to go anywhere. Nor are you, looking at you.”

“I’ll go,” said Pyrrha. She gave Ruby’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze and looked down at her. _It’s the least I can do for her. Besides, I need to see this through to the finish._

“Me too,” said Nora. “I’ll look after your sister and uncle, if you keep an eye on my Ren?” she told Ruby. Ruby smiled and nodded.

“And I’ll go too,” Sienna said, glaring at Pyrrha “I’m not letting Miss Nikos out of my sight until the police get here.”

Blake and Sun looked at each other, Blake with a raised eyebrow. Sun shrugged his shoulders. “We’ll come as well,” Blake said.

“Very well,” said Pyrrha. “Nora, if you could show us the way? Let’s see to the end of this.”

####  _The Grand Hall_

The ride up had been subdued. They’d barely spoken, in words anyway. But Qrow kept his hand on his niece’s shoulder. She kept her working hand on the relic, while her other, artificial limb, hung lifelessly from the joint. The passing hum of the lights as they rose would almost be comforting, but he doubted it could make much difference for his niece. But he was beyond proud of her. She was strong, and because of her, disaster had been averted.

They reached the grand hall, the platform slowing as it, and the statue, locked once more into place.

“Uh oh,” Qrow said, looking before him. Yang looked up at his words. Before them stood Hazel, waiting.

They stood still on the platform.

“I have nothing against either of you,” the big man said with a deep voice. “So hand that over,” he nodded at the relic, “and I’ll leave.”

“Ah, we can’t do that,” Qrow replied drily.

Hazel glanced at Yang. “He speaks for both of you?”

“You’re not getting it!” Yang said.

“I won’t enjoy this,” Hazel growled.

“Yang, when I give the word, _run_ ,” Qrow whispered.

“No can do, Uncle Qrow,” Yang replied. “Like I said, I don’t run away.”

Hazel moved slowly towards them, moving towards one of the flight of steps. They slowly backed away.

“You sure you want to do this, big guy?” Qrow asked. “Tyrian’s already dead, Raven’s left. Seems like your mission’s already gone sour.”

Hazel grunted. “Neither of you are in any state to face me,” he pointed out.

“What about _me?_ ” another voice called.

Hazel turned his head, but was struck from behind by a beam of fire. The blast threw him bodily against the stairway, wood splintering under the impact. Qrow looked on in astonishment, then looked towards the entrance. Valkyrie stood, and a few others, but his attention was caught by the figure in the centre. It was Nikos again, now without her helmet. Face drawn, head shorn, hair dyed, she looked very different from the last time he’d seen her. But it was the two eyes ablaze with red fire that stood out most.

_She’d done it. She’d actually done it._

Hazel heaved himself from the ruin of the stairway and stood. He turned and looked squarely as Nikos as she approached.

“Cinder’s dead then, Maiden of Fall?” the big man asked.

“The last time I checked, yes.”

“I don’t want to fight you,” he said.

“And you don’t have to, unless you insist,” Pyrrha answered. “You’ll accomplish little by it, either way.”

Hazel looked around the room, at those behind her, and then turned back to look on Qrow and Yang, before returning his sight to the Maiden before him.

“Very well,” he said with a nod. “I’ll take my leave.” He turned and strode towards the exit Nora had made, picking up speed as he jogged through.

“They’re just going to let him leave?” asked Yang.

“You want to try and stop him? I’m tired enough that I figure we’ll let the police try,” Qrow laughed. He made his way down the steps with Yang in tow. He could hear the sound of airships now, approaching the hall. As he walked towards them, the others seemed at a bit of a loss, but he kept his eyes focused on Nikos. Once she seemed sure Hazel had left, she fell to her knees.

“It’s over,” he heard her say softly. “It’s finally over.”

He wondered what to say. He and Oz had a lot to explain.

“Excuse me!” he heard another voice say, one ringing with self-assurance. He turned to see a Faunus lady with tiger ears. Oh, brothers, was that Sienna Khan?

“This may all seem normal to you,” she said. “But what in hell did I just see?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: This was an immense beast of a chapter, perhaps fittingly considering it’s the climax of the story. I considered breaking it up at one stage, but there just didn’t seem a desirable place to do it without leaving a cliff-hanger in the middle of a fight. Pyrrha has finally gained her vengeance, but the story and her journey are not done yet: three chapters remain, and there are vital things to happen yet.
> 
> There are quite a few crucial differences in the results here and those of the Battle of Haven in show. Some should be obvious, but there’s also a few more subtle ones which might not make much difference for this story, but could have significant consequences for the world of Remnant going forward.
> 
> Thanks once again for all the reviews and comments, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.


	18. Chapter Seventeen: A Maiden's Rest

####  _The Grand Hall, Haven Academy_

“But what in hell did I just see?”

They’d won. But in an instant Qrow realised it could all go wrong. The police were approaching, a wanted criminal was in their midst, and she harboured powers that needed to be kept secret and safe at all cost. And Sienna Khan, _head of the White Fang_ , was in the room and had just seen that display of magic!

He stepped up. “I’ll explain it later,” he said to Sienna. “But not now. For now, we need to keep this quiet. From everybody.”

“Who’s _we_?” she asked. “And why should I keep this hidden?”

“Because there’s more going on than most people can handle, including the Mistral police. Or do you really trust them that much?” he said. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Look, if you don’t like what I tell you, you can always say something later,” he added.

“And what about her?” she asked, pointing to Pyrrha, still on her knees. At the gesture Pyrrha looked up and Qrow was struck by the sudden transformation. One moment a broken girl; in the next her eyes glinted dangerously, the Red Huntress coming to the fore. He couldn’t help but wonder which would prevail.

“I… I may be able to of some help,” a voice called out from the end of the hall. They turned to see Lionheart standing by the door leading to his office. The others braced for combat.

“Easy,” Qrow said, gesturing for the others to lower their weapons. He’d caught sight of the boy behind Lionheart.

“The others said he was involved!” Sienna hissed.

“He was,” Qrow admitted. “But it looks like our man got to him.”

“Man?!” Sienna protested. “That’s a boy!”

“He’s a very talented boy.”

Lionheart shuffled down the steps, seemingly prodded by the boy who accompanied him. The mismatched pair – the boy moving with confidence beyond his visible years, and the cringing lion Faunus – made their way towards them.

“Professor Lionheart, you seemed sure earlier that there wouldn’t be an attack on the academy,” Sienna said. “Now I hear you had a hand in it?”

“You knew of the attack?” asked Qrow.

“I suspected it. I’ve already crossed paths with those who attacked tonight, the large man – Hazel – especially. It was their voice Adam was listening to when he attacked Beacon. By turns they’ve sought to use and then scapegoat the Fang. I don’t take kindly to assassination attempts nor to being used.”

“There’s been some… misunderstandings. I’m prepared… to cooperate completely, Qrow,” the headmaster stuttered.

“Misunderstandings!” snapped Sienna.

Qrow saw the look in Oscar’s – no, in Ozpin’s – eye and caught the message.

“What are you saying, Leo?” he asked.

“It’s clear I’ve become… overtaxed by my duties, leading to the errors culminating in tonight’s attack,” Lionheart answered, glancing at Ozpin. “As such, I am announcing my forthcoming retirement. In the meantime, since my other staff are absent, I’m appointing a temporary deputy to handle all business.”

“Who?” asked Qrow, narrowing his eyes.

“We… er… I wondered if you’d be willing to accept the responsibility?”

“Me?!” Qrow turned to Ozpin, but he stared back impassively.

“This is a stitch-up!” Sienna cried.

“Hey lady, does it look like I’m overjoyed about this?” asked Qrow. “I don’t like this any more than you do. But perhaps we should settle things down first. I promised I’d tell you more later, and we can discuss Lionheart too.”

“You’d better,” Sienna said with glittering eyes. She turned towards Pyrrha Nikos once more. “So then, what about the ‘Red Huntress’ here, ‘temporary deputy headmaster’?”

Pyrrha looked at them with an even gaze.

Qrow thought for a second. “She’s a huntress-in-training. We’ll keep her in custody here, pending investigation. Acceptable?”

“It will have to do,” Sienna said reluctantly.

“Good. Valkyrie, you’re in charge of guarding Nikos,” he ordered.

“Aye aye!” Nora Valkyrie said, giving an exaggerated salute.

That was part of the trick to appearing in charge, he knew: give people orders they _want_ to follow.

“You two,” he turned to the huntress and huntsman in training. “Wait, I recognise you,” he said, looking at the Cat Faunus, “you were on Ruby and Yang’s team.”

“She was,” Yang added, some tension in her voice. “This is Blake Belladonna. And Sun Wukong, he’s a student from Haven, and her friend. Or stalker, I’m not quite sure which.”

“Hey!” Sun said.

“He’s a friend,” Blake said.

“How did you two get here?” he asked.

“We came with my parents, my father is Chieftain of Menagerie–” Blake began.

“Ghira _Belladonna_. Yeah, I know,” Qrow said. At Blake’s look of surprise, he added, “You didn’t even change your name. It was easy enough to put two and two together, even before Adam Taurus took my niece’s arm off.” Blake looked away shamefaced, as Qrow continued. “So, what’s your father doing here?”

“He came here with me,” Sienna said, stepping in. At Qrow’s raised eyebrow, she added, “We’re working together. Recent events necessitated a change in approach.”

“And I checked my scroll, saw my team had signal, called Weiss…” said Blake.

“…And Ice Queen junior clued you in,” Qrow finished. “Your parents?”

“Working with the police right now.”

“Right, well you heard us talking. We need to keep certain things quiet for now. So, hold off on telling your parents,” he said pointing to Blake, “and _no_ telling your teammates what your headmaster’s been up to,” he said to Sun.

Sun peeked at Lionheart, who shrank from his pupil’s sight. “I’m not actually sure what he’s been up to, other than he’s somehow involved in tonight.”

“Good,” replied Qrow. “That’s more than enough, and if I hear that going around, I’ll know it was you. Now where are Ruby and the others?”

“Back outside the lecture halls, they were too injured to come along,” Blake replied. “None badly, but some won’t be moving without help.”

“Okay, well I want you two to go and see about moving them all here,” he told them. They nodded and turned to leave through the broken doors.

 _I suppose we’ll have to get that fixed too_ , Qrow thought.

“I’ll need to check on my own men, and get in contact with Ghira,” Sienna said, walking towards the doors herself. “I suppose the police and I will be seeing you and Lionheart soon?”

“Yeah, Leo can practice what he’s going to tell the council.”

“I will be expecting an explanation to all this,” she said, looking over her shoulder.

“Of course,” he said. “And… thank you.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“My niece and I were in a sticky situation,” he admitted. “Nikos did most of the work, but thanks for coming to help.”

She stared back for a moment, then shrugged. “I’ll see you soon,” she said, and left.

Qrow turned. “That goes for doubly for you, Nikos,” he said, walking over to where she sat on the floor, Nora huddled next to her. He held out a hand towards her. Uncertainty in her eyes, she took it, and he pulled her up. “Thank you,” he said.

“I had my reasons,” she said.

“I’m sure but thank you anyway.” He turned to Nora. “Nora, go claim one of the side offices for you, Nikos and Ren. We’ll be staying here tonight.”

“Got it!” Nora said, smiling brightly. Taking Pyrrha by the arm she led her away.

“So, more secrets and lies?” Yang said. Qrow winced. He saw Lionheart perk up but glared at him to be still.

“Unavoidable, Miss Xiao Long,” Ozpin replied as he walked over. He gestured for them to move to the side, and kept his voice low. “In this case we’re trying to keep people _out_ of the war, not manipulate people in it. And hopefully save Haven and keep Miss Nikos out of jail. In this case the truth needs a bodyguard of lies.”

“I suppose,” Yang said. “I just don’t like it. Remember your promise.”

He nodded and turned to Qrow. “Lionheart is cooperating in return for protection. _She_ already tried to kill him.”

“Heh, I’m surprised we didn’t let her.”

Ozpin’s face fell. “Qrow,” he said softly, “I mourn the man he was. He gave good service before _she_ got to him. In any case, he’s far more useful to us alive. I’ll explain more later, I don’t have much time. Both I and Oscar have used far too much energy, especially given his level of training. I see you have the relic behind your back, Miss Xiao Long?”

A smile tugged at Yang’s lips, as she brought the lamp round from where she’d tucked it on her belt. “I figured you wouldn’t want me waving it around in front of the others.”

“Raven was the Spring Maiden. She opened the Vault chamber, but left without closing it,” said Qrow.

“We can’t leave it here then,” Ozpin said. “Well done, both of you. Qrow, make sure to take the pocket watch from the statue. The last thing we need is for the police to have a look down there, especially with the door open.”

“Got it. Oz. Anything else we should know now?” asked Qrow.

“Yes, Oscar would really appreciate it if you could catch him.”

His eyes flashed, and Oscar’s body immediately slackened. Forewarned, Qrow managed to catch him, and gradually lowered him to the floor.

“You alright, kid?” he asked.

“I guess,” Oscar wheezed. “Ozpin’s resting now. I’m exhausted, and everything’s sore.”

“Sounds like you just need some rest,” Qrow said. “Well, maybe a lot of rest. You’ll get it. You did great.”

“He did most of the work,”

“He’s been doing this a lot longer, Oscar. You held your own.”

“Thanks,” Oscar smiled.

“Yang,” Qrow glanced towards her, but caught sight again of the non-functioning arm. That complicated matters. “Grab the pocket watch, then keep Oscar comfortable till I can send someone to carry him.”

“No problem, Uncle Qrow. What will you be doing?”

Qrow turned to look at Lionheart with a scowl. “I think it’s about time for my old friend Leo here and I to go chat with the police.”

####  _Side Offices, Haven Academy_

Nora had claimed an office with some decent floor space, and there she and Pyrrha had stayed. Pyrrha could tell Nora dearly wanted to speak, but she was seemed willing to give Pyrrha the verbal space she needed, something Pyrrha was grateful for. It had been so long since Pyrrha had a genuine conversation with a friend she wasn’t sure she knew how to anymore, especially one so potentially fraught.

Sun had dropped off some bedrolls and fetched Pyrrha’s bag from its hiding spot. She didn’t know the Faunus that well but was glad they had someone on hand who knew the campus well enough to be able to follow her directions. And who was blasé enough in his approach to the law that he wouldn’t just hand her bag to the police as evidence.

She now sat on one of the bedrolls, no longer dressed in her armour and once more clothed in the Pumpkin Pete hoodie she’d obtained in Vale. Her fingers would drift to the fabric from time to time, but she focused most of her attention on the weapons before her. Miló was truly shattered, its fragments broken, though Akoúo was intact. As for Crocea Mors, the shield was damaged around the edges, where Cinder’s fingers had left their mark. The warping affected the collapsing mechanism too, leaving the shield unable to completely fold into its sheath mode anymore.

The blade, however… Pyrrha tended to it carefully. The blade was fine. It had served its purpose well.

And yet she felt subdued. She’d avenged Jaune, but had still failed him. Killing Cinder was satisfying, but that couldn’t erase Pyrrha’s failures, nor the wrong Cinder had caused. Rage was finally stilled, but what was left but a yawning pit?

She was the Maiden of Fall. But now it was winter, a winter without end.

Inwardly she wept.

“Here we go,” they heard from the doorway, and they looked up to see Qrow help Ren into the room.

“Ren!” Nora called.

“I’m okay Nora,” he said. “Just having a bit of trouble standing.” He limped over to one of the makeshift beds, and with some assistance from Nora laid down upon it.

“The medic says he’ll be fine, just needs to let rest and aura do its work,” Qrow said.

“Rest would be good,” Ren added with a sigh.

“Well, you kids deserve it,” Qrow said. He glanced at Pyrrha’s display. “The police are still going over the campus, but I’ve managed to get them to leave the grand hall to us. Which is probably for the best, since I don’t know how they’d react to finding out you’ve still got weapons.”

“Such as they are,” she said, fingers brushing over Miló’s pieces.

“You know, you’re technically in custody,” he said.

She glanced up at him. “Should I be in chains?”

“Well, we both know that those probably won’t work,” Qrow said wryly, “so, I’m happy to give them a miss if you are.”

Nora giggled a little, although Pyrrha gave little response other than to look back at her weapons.

“That boy,” she asked after a moment. “The others said Ozpin is alive. It’s him isn’t it?”

“Yeah, kind of,” Qrow said. “He’s Oscar too. It’s a long story.”

“Shorten it.”

“We plan to go over quite a few things with you tomorrow, once he’s awake again,” Qrow answered. “But the short version is that they share lives. Each time Ozpin dies, his soul ends up in the body of a like-minded soul. They share the body, and eventually their souls will merge. Or so Oz says.”

“That’s what he meant…” Pyrrha muttered.

“Meant?”

“Back in Beacon’s vault, when you were asking me to have Amber’s aura transplanted into me. He talked about lives becoming intertwined.”

“I guess he did,” Qrow said, eyes unfocused in recollection.

“And he didn’t say anything? No insight that could reassure me?” Pyrrha demanded. “I thought I was going to lose everything!”

“We… we really didn’t know what would happen to you,” Qrow admitted. “It doesn’t seem like you’re going through what he does. But yeah, your friends made clear that we should have given more thought to how you’d take it. I’m sorry about that. We’ll talk more tomorrow.” He gave a nod and left the room.

Pyrrha returned to her weapons but couldn’t hold back. As she brushed over her equipment, she began speaking in agitation.

“I thought I had to give up my own self to protect you all. And I couldn’t even tell anyone about it! I couldn’t tell Jaune. I made a mess of it, thought he was telling me to sacrifice myself, and then I hurt him!” she cried, tears building. “And it didn’t even work: it didn’t protect him!”

Nora was by her side in an instant, holding her.

“They told us what they asked you to do,” she said gently. “Why would you do that to yourself?”

“Because I had to make sure you were all safe! Next to that, what did I or what I want matter?”

“It matters because _you_ matter!” Nora took Pyrrha’s face, and gently but firmly turned it to look her in the eyes. “You matter to us. Jaune would say the same. It was _wrong_ for them to ask such a risk of you and then tell you to keep it secret from those that cared about you.”

Nora then pulled Pyrrha into a hug and spoke softly to her “But it was also wrong of you to keep it secret, to keep the fact that you were about to risk losing yourself from those who love you. Those who want to protect you just as much as you wanted to protect them.”

Pyrrha wept into Nora’s shoulder, as Nora kept her in a firm embrace.

“I’m sorry,” Pyrrha whispered as the sobs subsided.

“Now, no need for that,” Nora said. For a second, Pyrrha was swept up into a memory of the same words, the same response. But Nora continued, “What’s important is that you know we care about you. And that we learn from this.”

“For instance,” said Ren from his bed, “why did you leave us behind?”

“I had to do it. Jaune died for me. I couldn't risk you as well.”

“You didn't think we'd want to see that woman pay too?” asked Ren with an unexpected edge.

“Pyrrha,” Nora said tenderly. “We loved Jaune. Maybe not love-love, like you did, but we’re family. If you’d asked us, we’d have followed you. We did tonight, didn’t we?”

Nora pulled back a bit to look Pyrrha in the eye once more but kept a firm grip on her shoulders.

“We understand why you did it. But don't do it again. Taking everything on by yourself doesn't protect us! Losing you would hurt us, just like losing Jaune hurt. We can best face danger by working together, where we can look out for each other. Qrow said something to Ren, on our way here, about not throwing life away, about not making people mourn us. Don't do that to us. We _love_ you, just like we loved Jaune.”

“We don’t want to lose you too,” Ren said earnestly.

Pyrrha was overcome by tears once more, but there was a hint of warmth to them. Nora shuffled over, pulling Pyrrha with her, bringing them both beside where Ren lay. As Nora embraced her, Ren reached out with a hand and clasped Pyrrha’s own. She cried but found a measure of comfort in the company of her friends. No, her family.

They sat there for some time, as tears ebbed, and feelings settled. Then Nora perked up.

“Though I do think you were pretty badass,” she said with glee.

Pyrrha managed a ghost of a smile. She couldn’t feel the same way, and knew many others wouldn’t, yet for some reason Nora’s approval brought warmth.

“I suppose you learned what I did from today’s news?” she asked.

“Oh no,” said Nora, “we’d already worked it out. That was just more proof that Lionheart was up to no good.”

“How did you know?”

“Nora worked it out,” said Ren.

“You did?”

“I did!”

“How?” asked Pyrrha.

“Well, there was a few things. It was Qrow who guessed you’d overheard him and come to Mistral. And when we got here, someone was apparently targeting the White Fang. Once I found those online rumours of a ‘red huntress’, I could convince the others, but I had a gut feeling before I came across that.”

“But why?”

“I asked myself what I would do if someone hurt Ren,” Nora said quietly, taking the boy’s other hand. He gave her hand a comforting squeeze.

“Still, news reports don’t cover everything!” Nora said with more cheer. “Can you tell us more?”

Pyrrha hesitated. It still seemed so strange it was all over, and now it was she wasn’t sure how she felt about it all. About everything she had done. “I will,” she said eventually, “but not right now. If that’s okay?”

Ren looked up from where he lay. “That’s okay,” he reassured her. “Isn’t it, Nora?”

“I suppose,” Nora said, “though I want to hear everything, when you’re ready.” A smile then crossed her face. “Do you want to hear about our adventures?”

“You had _adventures_?” Pyrrha tilted her head.

“Oh, we did! Like the time we saved some villagers from Yang’s mom!”

“Yang’s _mother_?” Pyrrha asked quizzically. She glanced at Ren, expecting a correction, but he simply nodded in confirmation.

“Yeah, she was here tonight too,” Nora said. “Turns out she’s the sort of parent that really makes me glad to be an orphan. Let’s see, it started when we arrived at Shion, during a dark and dreary night–”

“It was bright sunshine,” Ren interjected.

“Hush Ren, this way is more exciting!”

And for the first time, in perhaps a long time, Pyrrha found herself with a wide smile on her face.

“Hey kiddo, what’s up?”

Ruby looked up from where Qrow had found her, sat outside the office team RWBY had claimed.

“Checking Crescent Rose,” she said, gesturing to her weapon. Raised voices came through the door behind her. “And avoiding that,” she added sheepishly.

“Something I should know?”

“Yang’s upset at Blake for running away after Beacon.”

“Oh, right. _That_.”

“And she probably wouldn’t have said anything, but Weiss likes to get everything out in the open.”

“I see. Going to do anything about it?”

Ruby shook her head. “Once they get everything out of their system, I think things will work out. Plus if Blake runs again, I’m here to catch her.” She paused, turning back to the gun in her hands. “I’ll jump in if things go on too long. I just needed a bit of peace and quiet.”

Qrow caught the look in her eyes and sat down beside her. “Something you want to tell me?” he asked.

“That moment you talked about…” Ruby said quietly. “It arrived tonight.”

Qrow thought back for a second, recalling his conversations with Ruby. Then he realised.

“What happened?” he asked gently.

“When Pyrrha was fighting Cinder, Emerald had trapped Pyrrha with her semblance. Pyrrha was about to die, and I couldn’t get there in time!” she said, almost reliving the frustration. “But Crescent Rose could,” she added softly.

Qrow took a deep breath, not daring a misstep. “That’s as good a reason as any,” he ventured.

“Yeah, and you always said it was likely to happen.”

“True. But I also know that doesn’t make it much easier.”

“Right,” she said. “I didn’t see any other choice.”

“If you didn’t, then I don’t think there could have been. Things don’t always work out perfectly. You can only try your best.”

“Does it get any easier?”

“For the most part, yes. For some it gets far too easy. But I don’t think that’s going to happen to you.”

“Thanks,” Ruby said, leaning against her uncle. They sat there for a few minutes.

The door opened behind them.

“I think she’s just out here– oh hey Rubes,” Yang said. “Uncle Qrow, how’s things?”

“Should be quiet for the rest of the night,” he said. “Some of us will have a busy day tomorrow, but you kids should be able to take it easy.”

“Gotcha,” Yang replied. “Ruby, we’re sorry about all that. We’ve settled down now, if you’re okay to re-join us?”

 _You good?_ Qrow mouthed silently, and Ruby gave him a small nod.

“Yep, I’d like that,” she told Yang.

They stood, Qrow helping to pull Ruby up, and then he stepped aside to let her past. Weiss and Blake were just behind Yang, and he could see Ruby meet their hopeful smiles.

“If you could keep the celebrations down, I’d appreciate it,” he said as Ruby passed between them. “It’s late, and some of us will be trying to get some sleep.”

“Don’t worry, Uncle Qrow,” Yang grinned. “I think we’re tired enough we going to hold off on the reunion party.”

“We’ll be good,” Ruby said.

The door closed, and Qrow let out a sigh. “You always are, Ruby,” he murmured softly. Reminded of past days, he was glad his nieces at least had their team.

####  _The Headmaster’s Office_

“You understand our concerns, Mister…?”

“Qrow,” he replied.

“Qrow _Branwen_ ,” added the sharp-eyed Councillor Fusae. “Any relation?”

“Distant,” he said. _Emotionally, at least_.

“Come now, Councillor Fusae,” Councillor Miltiades said. “We need not accuse Mister Qrow–”

“Just Qrow.”

“…Qrow here of any connection with bandits. Why, it was he and his team that evacuated Shion. We owe them that, at least.”

“I wondered where I recognised you from, Qrow,” said the third voice, Councillor Zemin. “We’re grateful, of course.”

Qrow knew how this was going to go. _But what have you done for us lately?_

“However, last night’s events are still unclear, even before Professor Lionheart’s announcement. How, for instance, did you end up being at Haven Academy last night?” the councillor continued, while running his fingers down his thin beard.

Qrow took a breath. It was late morning, and here he was, stuck at Lionheart’s desk in a video conference with the Mistral Council. _I thought it was Lionheart who we planned to punish_.

“I was pursuing the terrorists who attacked Beacon, on behalf of Beacon’s headmaster,” he said. Let them assume the wrong headmaster; it’s not like Goodwitch would rat him out. “Turns out they were planning on doing the same to Haven. And – as I’m sure the police can confirm – at least one of the bodies we’ve found here is of one of the known terrorists, Emerald Sustrai.”

“I thought the White Fang attacked Beacon?” asked Councillor Fusae.

“They did,” Qrow replied. “but the main perpetrators were human.”

“Sienna Khan was telling the truth, then,” Councillor Miltiades said, glancing at his colleagues. “I suppose that makes negotiations easier.” He turned back to look at Qrow. “And this time they appear to have used the Spider syndicate?”

“Looks that way,” Qrow said. “The police took a whole bunch of them prisoner and found a pile of explosives.”

“And the leaders, this terrorist group?” asked Councillor Fusae.

“Dead, mostly. One got away; you’d be better off asking Sienna Khan about him, she said she’d run into him before. But we’re pretty sure the ringleader, Cinder Fall, is dead.”

_And by pretty sure I mean absolutely sure, but Nikos didn’t exactly leave much to identify._

“Haven Academy is self-governing, of course,” Councillor Zemin began. “But if you could cooperate with the police report, and provide one yourself in lieu of Professor Lionheart, it would be much appreciated.” The tone made it clear that this wasn’t a request.

“Sure,” Qrow sighed. He heard the door click open, and looked up to see Oscar – no, Ozpin – walk quietly into the room.

“Which takes us onto other matters,” Councillor Fusae announced. “I understand you have Pyrrha Nikos in custody?”

“Yes,” he said. _Well, kind of,_ he thought.

“Any particular reason you haven’t handed her over to the police?”

“Well for one, she’s a huntress-in-training,” Qrow replied. He glanced at Ozpin, in case he had any better reasons than the ones he was about to invent. “Secondly, she was likewise pursuing the terrorists who attacked Beacon, with authorisation from the head–”

“That’s not exactly something we can easily check, Qrow,” Councillor Miltiades interjected. “And hardly justifies what she’s blamed for.”

“I’m sure you can send a courier to Vale,” Qrow said, knowing Goodwitch would cover for him if need be. He saw a thought cross Ozpin’s face, but continued. “And thirdly, the intel Lionheart supplied the council was faulty, provided by the very terrorists who planned yesterday’s attack.”

“But surely that can’t account for everything?” Miltiades asked. “I’ve checked the reports, at least some of it is very plausible. And we have some of our prisoners swearing blind that they’d seen the ‘Red Huntress’ before and that she showed up last night. And, well, you have her!”

“I didn’t say it was all wrong,” Qrow said. “Just that some of it was and we need to check. And she helped repel last night’s attack.”

“There are other considerations at stake,” Councillor Zemin cut in. “Pyrrha Nikos was a popular figure. Some refuse to believe she’s responsible, and in other quarters I dare say there’s even a measure of approval. But she’s a complicating factor in our negotiations with Menagerie and with Sienna Khan, both of whom are likely to want the matter properly dealt with.”

Councillor Fusae gave a contemptuous snort, and Qrow saw the grey-haired councilwoman roll her eyes.

“You mean you want to use her as a negotiating chip?” he guessed.

“I mean that it’s in Mistral’s interests that these negotiations go smoothly,” Councillor Zemin replied. “And she could well be a factor. Whatever the outcome, it’s not just us who need to be convinced.”

Qrow saw a look of calculation in Ozpin’s eye.

“And moving on, there’s also the matter of the Academy itself,” Councillor Fusae said. “We can’t get hold of the other staff.”

Qrow glanced back at Ozpin. His heart sank as Ozpin shook his head.

“Neither can we,” he said. “I don’t know how aware of this you might be, but my investigation before the attack revealed a number of Mistral’s huntsmen are missing in action. It’s likely they were targeted, and the Academy’s staff may have been caught up in that.”

“They’re what?!” Councillor Miltiades cried, appalled. “But…? How many, Qrow?”

“I can send a list of names I’m sure about, and it’s not short. There may be more.”

“This…” Councillor Fusae looked ashen. “This is a disaster! Why was Lionheart not on top of this?”

 _Because the viper helped_ , Qrow thought angrily, _and we can’t even say_. “I think that’s one of the reasons he’s stepping down,” he gritted his teeth.

“The incompetence of the man!” the councillor snarled. “If he weren’t retiring…”

“Which presents us with another difficulty,” Councillor Zemin said. “With Professor Lionheart’s deputy unavailable, who will be assuming his duties? It’s unlikely, under the present circumstances, that a permanent headmaster could be chosen in time, even if most of the likely candidates weren’t missing. The school’s due to reopen in a few weeks; at this rate the students will have to go to Shade.”

Qrow caught Ozpin’s sharp look. “We’ll have to get back to you on that one,” he said.

“Very well,” said Councillor Zemin. “I appreciate you are new to this… responsibility. But we’ll need answers, soon. We’ll be in touch.”

Qrow let out a long sigh as the display went out. “So, Oz, why did you pick _me_ for this job?”

“Perhaps it escaped your notice, but in the eyes of the world our party has a distinct shortage of adults,” Ozpin replied, as he seated himself on the other side of the desk. “We could hardly leave Leonardo in place, but we need someone in this role.”

“And is this when you explain what you want me to do? Because I hate meetings at the best of times; having me meet the council for an entire kingdom is a recipe for disaster.”

“Oh, I think you underestimate yourself. You’re already working on one of our objectives: to keep Miss Nikos out of jail.”

“It seems like it’d be easier just to let them take her and have her bust herself out.”

“I’d prefer her not to be on the run from the authorities. It makes working with them – and avoiding Salem’s agents – that much harder.”

“I’m kidding, Oz.” Qrow said, palms aloft. He dropped his arms to the desk. “It’s still going to be tricky though.”

“Yes, we can have Leonardo say he was deceived, but like you saw, people are only going to believe that so far. The evidence points in her direction, after all. We’ll need other grounds to get her off the hook. Claiming authorisation from Beacon is a start, but then there’s the issue with the Belladonnas and Sienna Khan.”

“Based on last night’s conversation, Khan’s not going to be easy to budge.”

“No. I don’t imagine the Belladonnas will be as difficult, but it just requires one to cause a problem.”

“And she also saw Nikos use the Maiden powers last night. I had to tell her I’d explain later.”

“Yes, I caught that, a problem indeed. How much are you thinking of telling her?” he asked, looking back up.

“Whatever you agree to. Brothers, I was just trying to buy time.”

“Hmm... Yes, I understand the difficulty.” He paused. “That’s an… option. Maybe it could even work…” he said to himself.

“What could work?” asked Qrow.

“Oscar’s made a rather bold suggestion, one I’ll need to think over. But it may even help us with both problems. I’ll get back to you about that one.”

“Alright,” Qrow said, seeing Ozpin wasn’t going to say much more for now. “Is there anything else we need to do?”

“The relic must be taken to Atlas. We can’t leave it here with no way to seal the vault. That will give us a chance to put the relic somewhere safe and coordinate with James. Leonardo will be coming with us. Which leaves us the task of saving Haven.”

“I thought we already had,” Qrow said, a little perplexed.

“We’ve saved the buildings, but not the institution. You heard the councillors; left to the usual procedures, there’s little prospect a new headmaster could be selected in time. And with no headmaster and no staff, the school won’t reopen. Some students may go to Shade, but others will quit. And little will be done for the prospective students in the years to come.” Ozpin stood and paced. “We risk losing whole classes of potential huntsmen and huntresses, at a time when Mistral can scarcely afford to lose any. Combined with the fall of Beacon, Remnant itself risks having lost _half_ of our capacity to train huntsmen in less than a year!”

“Okay, but what can we do about it?”

“Leonardo’s survival gives us an opportunity; your placement is proof of that.” Ozpin said, gesturing towards Qrow. “The council is right, with no obvious candidates, formal procedures to select a permanent headmaster will take too long. But if we have him appoint a new, official, deputy before he steps down…”

“That deputy will become acting headmaster.”

“Precisely. A new headmaster is key,” Ozpin insisted. “It means the academy can stay open. They can find teachers; even if they need to badger the council to loan a few huntsmen, it’s a worthwhile trade for scores of new graduates. And since the headmaster will be a member of the council…”

“They’ll be able to help out with Nikos.”

“Exactly. But that won’t happen unless we can get someone in place.”

“And that someone is… wait, you’re not asking me, are you?” Qrow asked with mild horror.

Ozpin chuckled. “No, but I did consider it. You _have_ actually held a teaching position. But the party will need a supposed adult other than Leonardo. I need your help to get the relic to Atlas.”

“So, who are going to pick?”

Ozpin sat down again with a tired expression. “That’s the difficulty we face. Ideally our candidate should have both teaching and combat experience, ideally in a huntsmen academy or combat school. We seem to be short on those to begin with, but then there’s the other qualification: They have to be someone we can trust, someone who either knows or that we can tell what’s really at stake. As Leonardo shows, that quality is in short supply, and it’s hard to know how people will take truth.”

“And we’re supposed to identify this person in, what, the next few weeks? This isn’t going to be as easy as you make out, Oz.”

“No, it isn’t,” Ozpin said. “And speaking of difficult tasks and telling someone what’s really at stake, we have a little of that right now.”

“We do?”

“Yes. It’s time for us to brief Miss Nikos.”

####  _Side Offices_

“We come bearing gifts!” Ruby announced.

Pyrrha looked up to see Ruby walking in the room, followed by the other RWBY girls. Weiss and Blake each carried a bag.

“Ren, Nora, since you guys were stuck up here, we thought we’d pick up your stuff from the lodgings while we got our own,” Yang declared.

“Thanks Yang!” Nora replied cheerily, leaping up to grab her bag from Blake. Ren caught his own bag from Weiss with a nod of thanks.

“Thanks _Yang_?” Weiss said. “Blake and I were the ones carrying the bags!”

“Well, I would have helped,” Yang said with a smile. “But I needed one arm for my own bag, and…” she gestured at her missing right arm.

Weiss blushed in embarrassment.

“Not fixed the arm yet?” asked Nora, gesturing for the girls to join them.

“Nope,” Yang replied as she sat on one of the sleeping bags. “Between the poisonous gunk that Tyrian guy injected into it, and the hole he left, my arm’s kinda messed up. And I don’t know who _could_ fix it round here.”

“Didn’t you say General Ironwood got it for you?” asked Weiss.

“Yeah, I guess he knows something about losing an arm,” Yang said, suddenly pensive.

“Considering it got damaged in a good cause,” Weiss continued, “I’m sure he’d be happy to have it fixed.”

“We just have to get it to Atlas and back!” said Ruby.

“Just?!” Yang smiled wistfully. “It would be good to get it fixed. But it’d be really nice to have two arms right now.”

“Don’t worry Yang,” Blake piped up. “I’m sure we can lend you a hand.”

The group fell silent. Yang stared at Blake. For a moment she showed little expression. Then the corner of her lips turned up.

“Heh, good! We wouldn’t want the Grimm thinking I’m h-armless!” she laughed, to relieved groans and a small smile from Blake.

As the others socialised, Pyrrha sat back, silent. She’d hardly been the most outgoing of people before this all started. Now, after months on the run alone, meeting this many people at once seemed a whole new challenge. Ren and Nora kept meeting her glances with reassuring eyes, as if seeking to remind her she was among friends, and Ruby too looked at her with a genuine smile. Yet some of the others seemed less comfortable. Weiss seemed on edge, while Blake kept peering at her from the corner of her eyes, only to look away ever time Pyrrha shot a look in her direction.

It itched. In the past she might have left it alone, anxious to avoid a scene. But she’d spent too long watching her own back to do that now.

“Is something the matter, Blake?” she asked.

Blake’s eyes went wide. “No. I mean…” she briefly looked away, before looking back with a touch more resolve. “I mean, do you have something against Faunus now?”

Pyrrha froze. She didn’t know how to respond.

“Blake?!” Ruby cried. The others looked on in shock as Nora glared balefully at Blake, while Weiss placed her palm across her face.

“I… I didn’t mean it like that!” Blake said.

“Well how _did_ you mean it?” Nora glowered.

“Nora, don’t be too hard on her.” Weiss said. “Blake’s just a little freaked out at learning all that’s happened. Truth be told, she’s not the only one.”

“Guys…” Ruby tried to interrupt.

“So, you’re worried about Pyrrha too?” Nora demanded.

“Worried _for_ her,” Weiss replied. “That’s not the same thing. I mean, we saw you last night, Pyrrha. You were going to execute those men!”

“Weiss!” Ruby yelled.

Pyrrha glared back as her emotions boiled. Long suppressed unease warred with frustration. What did _they_ know about it? How could _they_ understand? They hadn’t been _alone_. It wasn’t just about losing Jaune, it was knowing any misstep spelt disaster, that she couldn’t afford to leave any enemy at her back. Her errors _had_ almost cost her everything.

She felt Ren’s hand fall on her shoulder, felt her emotions fall back under his semblance. She looked up at him, saw him gently nod in reassurance.

“Look Ice Queen–” Nora began.

“GUYS!!” Ruby cut in. “Stop it!”

“Ruby’s right,” Yang said, adding her voice. “Now’s not the time.”

“Aren’t you bothered?” asked Weiss, earning another scowl from Nora.

“I wasn’t there,” Yang shrugged. “What I do know is we’ve all been through a lot, and feelings are raw. We don’t want to say anything else we regret.”

There was a moment of silence, before it was broken by the rap of knuckles against the wall.

“Hey kids, can we have the room for a few minutes?” Qrow stood in the doorway, Oscar’s small frame visible behind him. “We need to speak to Nikos about a few things.”

He stepped out of the way to allow team RWBY to walk past, and they slowly filed out with some backward glances. Ren moved forward, but stopped when he saw Nora standing still, her arms crossed.

“Hey, we’re not going to tell her anything you kids don’t already know,” Qrow said softly. “You can quiz her afterwards if you like. It just might make this conversation a little easier.”

Nora remained in place but turned when Pyrrha spoke.

“It’s okay, Nora,” she said in a controlled tone. “I’ll speak to you shortly.”

Nora gave her a searching gaze, but then nodded. “We’ll see you, Pyrrha,” she said, and left through the doorway, beckoning for Ren to follow. After they left, Qrow and Oscar came into the room.

“I take it you’re Oscar?” she asked the boy.

“Actually, I’m your former headmaster at the moment,” Ozpin replied. “I believe Qrow’s told you we… share. Oscar’s still here, but for the moment he’s generously letting me have this conversation.”

“You have a lot to explain,” Pyrrha said coldly.

“I do,” he replied.

“I’ll ask you not to begin by asking me about any fairy tales,” she said with a bitter smile. “Whatever truth they contain, life _isn’t_ a fairy tale.”

“I’m sorry Miss Nikos. That question’s usually for my benefit. Not that all those stories end happily either…”

Qrow could tell the atmosphere had been a little charged when he and Ozpin had arrived, but that was nothing compared to after their disclosures. When he and Ozpin filled in some of the gaps of the Maiden story: of the relics they guarded; of Salem, the one they guarded them from; and of Ozpin’s own strange immortality and his long war against her.

Pyrrha had sat in silence through their account. At one point she’d turned away, but now her eyes were back upon them.

“You expected me to fight this enemy, to protect these relics, without even knowing of their existence?”

“I’m sorry Miss Nikos,” Ozpin replied. “We thought we had little choice. We didn’t know what would happen, and we thought we’d have time to explain. Keeping things confidential seemed safest.”

“Don't apologise to me!” Pyrrha said angrily. “Jaune didn't know; did keeping things a secret keep him safe?! Or the others who died?!”

She fell silent and looked away after her outburst, barely moving save for a tear rolling down her cheek. More quietly, she began speaking again.

“You asked me to undergo a procedure that… that was _wrong_. You told me that I might be… changed by it, that my very identity and soul could be at risk. I thought I would lose all connection with those that I had come to care about. The pain of simply thinking that, the pain I caused others while worrying about that. I risked all that because I trusted you. Because I trusted that you knew what you were doing, that there was no other choice, that it was necessary to protect the lives of those I loved and the entire world.

“And yet you didn’t even know how to defend your own school! Our enemy was right there amongst your students. Students who were unaware of the danger in their midst, danger you knew of and failed to protect or even warn them from. You asked so much of me, and yet you told me so little of what you expected me to face, what I was wagering my soul on! I went along with it because I thought it was my destiny, because I thought at least it would protect my friends. And in the end… in the end… it _didn’t_.” She shook in pain.

She turned her gaze back on them, her eyes ringed with red. And yet Qrow saw once more the harder glint rise once more, the flash that said this was not just a broken girl.

“And now again,” she said in a colder tone. “If I hadn't come along when I had, how many more of my friends would be dead? Why should I trust you with their lives?”

Qrow winced. Ozpin took a deep breath.

“I will never be one to claim I haven’t made mistakes,” he began slowly. “I have, many of them, and many of them recently. I am sorry for your loss, and for all that happened at Beacon. You’ll need time to process what we’ve told you too. But whatever else you conclude, the world does need you.”

Pyrrha remained silent. Ozpin nodded at Qrow and they began slowly making their way to the doorway.

“It’s not over, is it?” Pyrrha suddenly called out. They turned to see her staring at them.

Ozpin closed his eyes briefly, before opening them once more. “No, it isn’t I’m afraid. Killing Cinder Fall is a significant victory, but as long as Salem exists, she’ll seek for the relics.”

“And those who hold the way to them,” she added in an emotionless tone.

“That’s right, Miss Nikos.”

She turned aside again, and they left quietly. They made their way down the hallway in silence.

Once they’d gone far enough to be sure of privacy, Ozpin turned to Qrow.

“I’m going to have to take a back seat for the remainder of the day. Oscar still needs to fully recuperate from last night’s exertions and will do so best at the helm of his own body. If you need my input, you can always ask him. He’ll pass my answers along.”

“She wasn’t wrong, you know,” Qrow said. At Ozpin’s puzzled look, he continued. “We almost had another disaster on our hands.”

“Yes,” Ozpin said with a frown. “It’s ironic, I always felt that my perspective, my sharing of lives, allowed me to stay closer to the times, to adapt better. And yet in our era, she changed tactics first, and I’m the one who didn’t adapt, who…” he broke off, shaking his head. “We _have_ to keep trying.”

“What are we going to do about her?” Qrow asked, thumbing back the way they came. “I don’t know what you were looking for in a guardian, Oz, but are you sure she’s it? She’s certainly capable, but part of her seems broken. And I’m a little worried by the part that isn’t.”

“I made a mistake in underestimating her attachment to Mister Arc, and left her far more vulnerable than I realised,” Ozpin admitted. “Love and grief can do terrible things. Something I should have learnt by now. But I think our best chance of weaning her away from any unstable tendencies will be through the companionship of her friends.”

“That didn’t sound like it was going entirely well.”

“They’re young. But I think given time it’ll balance out. I hope so, anyway.”

Yesterday had not gone as planned. Ruby had hoped that the two teams could hang out together, just like old times. Well, almost like old times. It’d be good for them all, she felt. Her teammates had fallen in with her plans easily enough, Ren and Nora had needed their gear after all. Once they’d dropped those off, they could just spend time together. But then that argument broke out.

Ruby could understand Blake and Weiss’s worries. She was worried too! She’d seen Pyrrha about to kill those men. But she also didn’t know what Pyrrha had been through. She remembered what Uncle Qrow said, about how they could try to help, and she didn’t think arguing did any of her friends any good. And… and there was the business with Emerald. She believed Uncle Qrow that there’d been little choice there. She hadn’t seen any other way at the time, nor when she’d thought about it since. And like she’d told her uncle, it wasn’t even the first time someone had died due to one of their fights. But it was the first time she’d _killed_. And she didn’t like how she felt. Her feelings didn’t always listen to her thoughts.

She didn’t know if Pyrrha felt the same way. To do it that many times, Ruby couldn’t imagine. But she was pretty sure yelling about it wouldn’t help. _My friends helped me_ , Qrow had told her. Yang had tried to reassure her, tell her that everyone needed a bit of time. Blake had only just found out what was going on, after all. And maybe there was some truth in that. But Ruby was also sure they needed to keep the door open. That they were all hurting, all needed each other, and didn’t need to lose any more friends. Not to something like rash words or worries. And then she’d found the small gift she’d stowed in her gear and remembered what she’d meant to do.

She stood nervously outside the room team JNPR had commandeered, secret weapon tucked behind her. She knocked on the door. After some scuffling, the door opened a fraction, and Nora looked out, her teal eyes set in a hard expression. They softened a little when seeing Ruby.

“I’m here to see Pyrrha,” Ruby explained.

Nora peered round, to see behind Ruby. Seemingly satisfied, she let the door swing open and gestured for Ruby to enter.

Ruby walked into the room, as Nora shut the door behind her. Much of the office furniture had been pushed to one side, although Ren sat at one desk reading. He looked up and nodded in greeting. Pyrrha sat at the other end, pen in hand, paper and Scroll laid out before her.

“Hello Ruby,” she said in a cordial, though controlled tone. At Ruby’s expression of curiosity, she continued. “Qrow thinks it will help his efforts if I ‘fill in the gaps’ as to what I’ve been doing. There’s a lot to go through.”

“I see,” Ruby said. “They’re not really going to send you to prison, are they?”

“I think Qrow and Ozpin are keener on avoiding that than I am,” Pyrrha replied, looking up from the paper. “From what Qrow has told me, he doesn’t plan for it to become a legal matter at all. Or for much of this,” she waved at the paper, “to be passed along. But he says he won’t know what to hide unless he knows what needs to be hidden.” A slight edge entered her tone at her last words.

“You don’t like that?” Ruby asked.

“I don’t like _lies_ ,” Pyrrha said vehemently, before visibly restraining herself. “I realise… I realise sometimes the truth needs to be hidden, and I’ve used deception myself these past months. But I don’t like it. And some seem to resort to it all too easily.”

“Whatever keeps you out of jail, Pyrrha!” Nora bellowed from across the room. Ruby was relieved to see a tug on Pyrrha’s lips.

“Nora’s being… protective,” Pyrrha whispered.

A soft humph from the short ginger indicated they’d been overheard. As did a quiet mutter of “good” from Ren.

“Anyway, how can I help you?” asked Pyrrha.

“Well, I have something for you!” Ruby said, bringing her offering round. Pyrrha was confused at first as the small picture frame was passed to her, before she looked at the photo inside and gasped.

“Where… where did you get this?” she said, looking down at the small picture of the young Jaune and his family.

“It’s from Shion,” Ren said in surprise, now looking at them intently.

“Yeah, Nora here found it on the wall of the tavern,” Ruby said, gesturing to Nora who’d also come over. “The village knew his family.”

“And you saved this?” Pyrrha said, a tear in her eye.

“I didn’t want it to be lost to the bandits,” Ruby replied. “Seeing it was a shock at first, but then we were able to talk to the tavern keeper, and he shared some stories, and it all felt a bit better. It’s not just a picture, it’s memories, and I felt like I should try to preserve it, preserve them. And then I thought you might like to have this.”

Ruby felt a strong arm come around her, as Nora pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. She was released, to see Pyrrha looking down once more at the photo, tears in her eyes, but a slight smile on her face.

“Thank you, Ruby,” she said, “knowing you kept this all through your journey… I can’t say all that I feel.”

“I’m sorry,” Ruby said. “Sorry I wasn’t quick enough, sorry–”

She was cut off as Nora took her by the shoulder.

“Enough of that,” Nora said in a firm tone. “We get too much self-blame around here as it is. It was Cinder’s fault. And Cinder’s dead.”

“She’s right, Ruby,” Pyrrha said more softly. “Perhaps that’s easier to tell each other than to tell ourselves, but Nora’s right.”

“I usually am,” Nora added, to Ren’s eye-roll and the others’ smiles.

They remained there in companionable silence for a few minutes, as Pyrrha gazed down at the photo.

“Are you sure you want to give this to me?” she asked eventually.

“Of course, why wouldn't I?”

“He was your friend too,” Pyrrha answered.

“He was,” Ruby said quietly. “He was my first friend at Beacon. Yang had abandoned me for some older friends. I met Weiss for the first time, and she yelled at me before one of her dust vials literally exploded. And then I saw Blake for the first time, and she left me there too. And then he came along, as dorky and awkward as I was, and helped me up because ‘strangers were just friends he hadn’t met yet’. I love my teammates, I wouldn’t give them up for anything. But I’m grateful for the friendly hand on that first day.”

She paused, lost in memory, before coming round again. “No, you keep it Pyrrha. Just know you’re not alone. We miss him too.”

“Thank you,” Pyrrha looked at her, then met the eyes of Ren and Nora in turn. “I’m beginning to realise just how true that is.”

“Sorry about what was said yesterday,” Ruby said.

“Ruby, I’m a big girl. I know what people are saying about me.”

“But that’s people, we’re your friends!”

“That was really because of you two, you know?” Pyrrha replied. “Because you and Jaune were friends, our teams became friends too. I’m not sure it would have happened the same way, If Weiss had been your team leader, or I ours.”

“Perhaps, but it did,” Ruby said. “The others will be there for you too, you’ll see. And… and I think Jaune would have wanted our teams to remain friends.”

Pyrrha was silent for a few seconds before she answered. “I think you’re right, Ruby. I’m… I’m a bit out of practice, but I’ll try for my part.” She paused, before she looked at her friends again. “In the meantime, could you perhaps tell me of these stories you were told?”

Ruby smiled as she began, and Nora and Ren added their own contributions. She knew, knew from her own divided heart, that things weren’t ‘fixed’. But perhaps this would help.

####  _The Headmaster’s Office_

“Well, Qrow? I believe you said you had some explanations for us,” Sienna demanded.

Qrow glanced at Oscar, sitting nervously to one side. _This is a hell of a gamble_ , he thought, surprised Ozpin had accepted the boy’s suggestion. Still, he supposed they had to do _something_. Though for something like this, Qrow had insisted on having Ozpin’s advice close at hand, even if they couldn’t risk him speaking directly.

He looked across the desk towards their ‘guests’. Kali and Ghira Belladonna sat politely, although in a state of some puzzlement. Sienna Khan glared intently, fingers tapping on the arm of her chair.

“Yeah, I do,” he said gruffly. He turned to the other two. “Have you been told what this is about?”

“Sienna’s alluded to more specific concerns,” Kali said. “And when you invited the three of us, she recommended we all come. There do seem to be some gaps in the official story about the attack several nights ago; where’s Professor Lionheart, for instance?”

There was a knock at the door.

“That’ll be him now,” Qrow said, before calling out. “Come in!”

The door opened, to reveal Lionheart. He shuffled in, ushered by Blake and Yang.

“Mom, Dad,” Blake greeted her parents.

“It’s good to see you with friends, my dear,” Kali said.

“Blake, wonderful to see you as always,” Ghira said. He then shifted his attention to the headmaster. “Professor Lionheart, I believe?”

“Er… yes, Chieftain Belladonna. I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but–”

Qrow cut in. “There’s a couple of things to explain, but we realised they might be a bit hard to believe. So, I thought we’d start with the professor here.”

“Yes,” Sienna said, with narrowed eyes. “I heard several times the other night – including from you – that Lionheart here was working _with_ the attackers.”

“Well, Lionheart, were you?” Qrow asked. All eyes turned upon the lion Faunus.

“I… I was,” he said, shamefaced.

“What?!” Ghira exploded. “Why has this been kept secret? Why has he not been turned over to the police?”

“There’s more,” Qrow stressed, eyes locked on his visitors. “Lionheart, how did the terrorists who attacked Beacon manage to infiltrate it?”

“They… they posed as students from Haven.”

“Lionheart?” Qrow prodded.

“…Because I supplied their credentials.”

Kali gasped in horror. Sienna looked incandescent. Ghira turned to Qrow.

“Why are you covering this up?” he demanded.

“Several reasons,” Qrow growled. “But do you really want the first Faunus to be the headmaster of a Huntsmen academy to be known as a traitor?”

“You’d dare–” Sienna began.

“He’s right,” Kail said, a hand on Ghira’s arm to calm him. “Some would see this the wrong way or seek to use it. But then again, a cover up could do even more damage, even setting aside the moral issues.”

“What are your other reasons?” Ghira asked Qrow. “You said several reasons, meaning more than one.”

 _Here we go_. “There’s also the matter of _who_ Lionheart was working for. The one behind the terrorists who attacked both here and Beacon. The one who by your account,” Qrow said with a wave in Sienna’s direction, “sought to use the White Fang.”

“ _Who?_ ” Sienna breathed, eyes fixed on Qrow.

“Lionheart?” Qrow asked. “Who were you working for?”

“The truth now, Leonardo,” Oscar said. It was the boy’s voice, but Qrow could tell Oscar was relaying a message.

Lionheart sighed. Voice quivering, he spoke. “I worked for… Salem… Queen of the Grimm.”

Lionheart’s words had been met with shock, incredulity, even accusations of bad jokes. That settled as it became clear that, at the least, they were not joking, and after confirming his testimony Lionheart was ushered away. After he was taken away, Qrow explained further. Of an enemy that only the headmasters and a few trusted others knew of, one they kept secret lest the resulting panic throw the kingdoms into chaos and attract waves of Grimm. That behind the long, seemingly unthinking, foe of life lay an intelligence. An intelligence that could make use of and direct the Grimm. One that could also use human agents to do its work.

It was the truth. Or an edited version of it anyway. That had been Oscar’s ‘bold suggestion’.

“You believe this!” Kali said in astonishment.

“I’ve seen more than most,” Qrow acknowledged. “It’s not a matter of belief. I realise this is hard to take in,” he was interrupted by a snort from Sienna, “but while you haven’t seen what I’ve seen, you can see some of the signs. An organization whose tentacles crept into the academies and the White Fang alike, intent on bringing the academies down.” He looked at Sienna. “Is it that unbelievable, after what you’ve already seen?”

Ghira and Kali looked towards Sienna, a question in their eyes. “The power Nikos used?” Sienna remembered. She saw Ghira and Kali’s raised eyebrows. “On the night of the attack,” she explained, “I saw Nikos use… some unusual powers. And it wasn’t any semblance. But what’s that got to do with this, Qrow?” she asked.

“There are things in this world that don’t fit into the neat boxes we think of,” Qrow replied. “Salem is one of them, and by far one of the biggest. But there are others, the seeds of the myths and fairy tales we tell. Such as that of the four Maidens.”

“Oh, come on!” Sienna cried.

“I’m serious. Or do you have a better explanation for what you saw? Call it magic, call it a power, it exists, and you’ve seen it. And Salem took a portion of that power, and her agents used it in their attacks on Beacon and Haven. And Nikos, Nikos managed to take it _back_.”

Sienna looked back at him, suddenly struck. “ _That’s_ why you don’t want her to go to prison,” she realised. She looked away again in thought.

“I’m having trouble accepting any of this…” Ghira began.

“Hazel’s ‘mistress’,” Sienna whispered. “Damn it, it’s true!” she yelled.

“Sienna?” Kali asked.

“Now you believe this?” Ghira asked in surprise.

“It fits,” Sienna said. “Adam even referred to Hazel’s ‘mistress’. The obsession with attacking the academies, urging Adam on to a mad goal, that… power, it all fits.”

“Does Blake know any of this?” Kali asked. Ghira took her hand.

“She does now,” Qrow said. “The other kids, I’d already told them. Seemed only fair they knew after their school got attacked and they insisted on getting involved.”

“I suppose we can’t ask her to back down,” Kali said mournfully. “She was never the sort.”

“She’s with friends. And I’ll keep an eye on them.”

“Assuming we credit any of this as true,” Ghira interjected. “How do you know all this? And why tell us?”

“I know this because I work for Beacon’s headmaster. I’ve worked against Salem’s forces for years, and that’s why I came to Mistral. As for why we’ve told you? Well, firstly I’d promised Lady Khan here an explanation,” Qrow said, gesturing in Sienna’s direction. Sienna rolled her eyes. “Secondly, from what she said, you’ve already crossed her agents before. And thirdly, because we need your help.”

“Our help?” Kali asked.

“He wants us to ease up on the Nikos front,” Sienna said.

“That’s part of it,” Qrow admitted. “But not all.”

“I’m still not happy about that,” Sienna said.

“Miss Khan,” Oscar spoke up timidly. He paled as the all the eyes on the room turned towards him. Qrow realised the others had almost forgotten Oscar was even there.

“Ah, the talented boy,” Sienna replied. “You seem a little more nervous than the other night.”

“I’m… I’m fairly new to all this,” he said. “I don’t know… Miss Nikos too well,” he said, pausing again, Qrow realising he was _listening_. “But I know… from her friends that she was badly hurt at Beacon. She lost… someone close.” Another pause. “I don’t know you either… but perhaps you might understand what it feels like… to fight against those who caused you grief.”

Sienna’s jaw dropped. She made to speak, but Ghira placed a hand on her shoulder. “I think we can be accommodating on this issue, providing the Mistral Council is equally accepting in other cases. Conciliation is what we’re aiming for, isn’t it Sienna?”

Sienna nodded, eyes on Oscar.

“What else?” asked Kali.

“There’s going to be a new headmaster–”

“What’s happening to Lionheart?” Sienna cut in.

“We’re taking him us, to Atlas.”

“General Ironwood’s part of your little club?” To Qrow’s nod, Sienna gave a slight smirk. “Normally I’d protest a Faunus being taken into Atlesian custody. But perhaps we can make an exception.”

“A new headmaster?” Ghira inquired, pushing the conversation back.

“Yes, but Haven Academy is going to need help. It’ll need resources and Mistral may not be in a position to provide all the needed support.”

“And you’re suggesting Menagerie fill the gap? I believe the academies serve a vital role – even before tonight’s conversation – but we’re not a prosperous country.”

“Every bit can help, even potential instructors could be very handy. And in return, Haven can offer slots for would-be students from Menagerie, providing you can find them and they’re up to scratch.”

“That is tempting,” Ghira conceded. “The new headmaster will agree to this?”

Qrow caught Oscar’s slight nod, though he wasn’t sure how Ozpin would know. “Yeah, they will,” he answered. “And if you have any possible teachers and students, term begins in a couple of weeks. We can have something in place before anyone can blink.”

Oscar coughed. A very deliberate cough. Qrow recalled his earlier conversation with Ozpin on this point.

“Er, yeah. There’s also a longer-term offer. One in part from Haven, and one in part from ‘us’. Now this isn’t something that can happen quickly, and it’ll be a lot easier once Haven’s up and running, but it is something we’d like to aim for.”

“And what’s that, Mister Qrow?” Ghira asked.

“Well, depending on how negotiations go, you’re going to have increased recognition from Mistral, right? And every kingdom hosts a huntsman academy…”

For a man renowned for his devotion to peace, Ghira’s expression became surprisingly _hungry_.

“Tell me more,” he said.

“That went surprisingly well,” Qrow said after they’d left. He turned to Oscar. “You did great, kid. Well done for keeping it all together. You may need to get used to this.”

“Yes,” Oscar replied with a flicker of unease. “I suppose so. Ozpin would like to speak now.”

“If you’re up to it.”

“I am. It won’t be long, he says.”

Oscar’s eyes flashed.

“All things considered, I think we’re making progress,” Ozpin said.

“I still think it’s pretty crazy, bringing them _in_. Especially Khan.”

“It was a risk, but they’d already fought Salem’s agents, and she’d seen magic. Oscar was right, we had to tell them something. And they don’t know everything; we didn’t tell them of the relics or myself. They’re not ‘in’, as you put it. At least not yet.”

“Not _yet_?!” Qrow sputtered.

“One always has to be on the look out for potential. The Belladonnas are influential, prudent and have a strong moral compass. As for Sienna Khan well, we not only have a common enemy, but she’s showed a surprising amount of flexibility and initiative lately. Her resources could be useful.”

“She’s a _terrorist_ , Oz!”

“She’s hardly Adam Taurus, as she’s demonstrated. Let’s just see what the negotiations bring, shall we?” Ozpin said with a small smile.

“You’re teasing me,” Qrow grumbled.

“Only partly,” Ozpin replied.

“What if the new headmaster doesn’t go for this?”

“Oh, I think he will.”

Qrow froze at Ozpin’s tone. “You know who to pick, don’t you? Was I just looking at them?”

Ozpin looked at the door but shook his head. “No. Remember what we discussed: we need them to have teaching and combat experience, and someone we can trust with what is at stake. They took what we told them well, considering, but we haven’t told them everything. Neither of the Belladonnas have experience teaching the skills a huntsman needs. And it would be politically awkward; Ghira after all is head of state for a neighbouring nation.”

“What of Khan?” Qrow asked, hardly believing he was having to check. “She has combat experience at least.”

“She does have potential,” Ozpin said with a teasing smile, before adopting a more sober expression. “But completely impossible politically, even if she’d take it and even if we were sure we could trust her. But given time, who knows? In a decade or two perhaps Sienna Khan will be Headmistress in Menagerie?”

“Time heals all wounds, huh?”

“If only that were true,” Ozpin said in a grave tone, a distant look in his eye.

 _Yeah, if only it was_ , Qrow thought, fingers itching for his flask.

“But, perhaps in this case, it will,” Ozpin added more lightly.

“So, if it’s not them, and it’s not me, who do you have your eye on?” Qrow pressed.

“It’s really you who gave me the idea, Qrow,” Ozpin said. “When you planted that seed about how the council could send an airship to Vale.”

“You’re going to poach the Beacon faculty? Don’t they need all hands on deck?”

“They do; I couldn’t do that to Glynda even if I put everything else aside.”

“Then who?”

“Beacon isn’t the only institution in Vale that teaches huntsmen skills.”

 _No, you’re not thinking…?_ “Oz, tell me you’re not–”

“The man I’m thinking of has both teaching and combat experience. More to the point, he _already_ knows. And while we’ve not always seen eye to eye, I know he won’t work with _her_ , and I know he’ll do right by his students. And given our current circumstances, his talents are really underutilised at Signal.”

“Oz, no…”

“We’ll need to get the council to send a swift airship with the proper credentials to pick him up, of course. But I’m also sure he’d appreciate the chance to see family.”

“And what do we tell him about the Spring Maiden, huh?”

Ozpin’s face fell somewhat. “That… that we’ll have to cover when he gets here. But for now, we’d better get the council to extend an invitation to Taiyang Xiao Long.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: Apologies for the delay on this chapter. It turned out both to be significantly longer than I was expecting, and I had a few side-effects from the COVID vaccination to endure (nothing major, but “flu-like symptoms” don’t help productivity)!
> 
> I don’t want to spoil anything about volume 8. But I do find it fairly ironic that I had Ruby kill Emerald off last chapter. And I’m really glad I didn’t have Hazel go down like a chump!
> 
> The show itself doesn’t explore how headmasters are selected. There are a few details that can be gleaned:
> 
> a) headmasters hold a position on the councils of their host kingdoms.  
> b) however, the headmasters are also all part of Ozpin’s conspiracy, indeed the set-up was designed to provide him with lieutenants, as he puts it.  
> c) Ozpin himself apparently had a role in selecting Lionheart.  
> d) Glynda becomes acting head in the immediate wake of the fall of Beacon, but becomes officially headmistress sometime thereafter.  
> e) The academies appear self-governing to a degree; even in Atlas where they’re co-mingled with the military, that’s because Ironwood holds two distinct positions (and famously two seats) as both General and as Headmaster.
> 
> Given this, it seems unlikely that selecting new headmasters is entirely a matter for the kingdoms, despite a headmaster’s political position, since that wouldn’t serve Ozpin’s purposes. Internal promotion, and possibly the other headmasters may also play a role. But – however it is done – in show it seems that it wasn’t possible to select a replacement for Lionheart. Despite the buildings being saved, the school shuts, Team SSSN transferring to Shade, and a lot of students apparently just quit. This frankly seems like a bad outcome (no wonder Ironwood regarded Haven as a disaster); hence Ozpin acting here using the leverage Lionheart offers to try and avoid this.
> 
> Thanks once again for all the reviews and comments. Special thanks to Accipiter Ater (read his work “Dark Pyrrha” if you fancy a story where Pyrrha made some very different life decisions!) for being willing to discuss the headmaster issue! Just two chapters left!


	19. Chapter Eighteen: A Maiden's Purpose

####  _Training Rooms, Haven Academy_

Her opponents circled around her. Doubtless the two planned to attack Pyrrha from two different directions at the same time. A worthwhile ploy, but one she’d learned to anticipate long ago.

She leapt towards one of her foes. They swung their weapon in an arc, but with an intangible effort she pulled on the power dwelling within her, channelling it into an icy replica of her shield. She deflected the hammer’s blow and shoved. As one opponent stumbled, she sensed the other approaching. She twisted, and with another push of magic sent a gust of wind at him, throwing him back. She followed it with a small ball of fire, the explosion knocking him flying, before she had to turn back to her first opponent. With a roar they charged at her. Sending power flowing into her other hand, she created a javelin of ice. Twisting around the hammer’s attack, she stabbed out, striking her opponent’s torso. Her opponent reared back, but with a great feat of strength reversed the swing of their hammer. She blocked it with her shield, but the ice shattered under the impact. She ducked back, but the hammer dropped towards her again.

With a flex of her semblance, she sent it – and its wielder – flying, sending them out of the ring.

“And stop!” a young voice called out.

With a flick of her wrist, she caused her javelin to disappear, glancing at her friends to make sure they were fine. Both Ren and Nora had picked themselves up, seemingly with no injury. She turned to their instructor, the ancient wizard in the garb of a farm boy.

“Well done Miss Nikos,” Ozpin commented. “Although I must remind you again that the point is to practice your use of the maiden powers, not to win.”

“I’m sorry,” she replied instinctively.

“No, you’re not!” Nora chuckled, giving Pyrrha a playful thump in the shoulder as she drew close.

“It was instinct,” Pyrrha explained. “I find it easier to use my semblance.”

“Naturally, you’ve had a lot of practice with it,” Ozpin said. “And those instincts will serve you well. But while your magic is new to you, you can develop similar instincts when it comes to the Maiden’s power.”

“It feels different somehow, using that power compared to using my semblance.”

Ozpin paused for a moment. “It does, doesn’t it?” he eventually said. “Nevertheless, like your semblance, you can hone your capacity to draw upon it.”

Pyrrha frowned in concern. “It sometimes feels like there is something in the way, some impediment. Sometimes it takes more effort than it feels like it should, or I sense there is more power than I can draw upon. It confuses me, because there were moments it felt easier when I only had a portion of the power, especially when conjuring flame.”

“Moments of wrath, I imagine?” Ozpin said.

That… was not for him to prod. She narrowed her eyes at him.

He saw her expression and held up a placating hand. “That’s not surprising,” he said. “Again, like your semblance, your magic will respond to you. Your ability to channel this power can be helped, or hindered, by your mental and emotional state.”

“My anger helped me?”

“In a manner of speaking, although I’d advise against seeking that feeling out. It’s… limiting. And you’ll come to find, I hope, that there is greater power in more positive frames of mind. Something to explore.”

Pyrrha gave a dissatisfied huff in response. As wary as she was of him, Ozpin was the only possible individual who could possibly train her in these powers, short of another Maiden appearing. And yet it appeared that he couldn’t resist being vague in his answers.

Ozpin turned to Ren and Nora. “Miss Valkyrie, Mister Ren, thank you once again for your assistance. We’ll break for lunch now. I just need a few minutes with Miss Nikos, and we’ll catch up with you.”

Nora shot Pyrrha a look, and Pyrrha nodded. She didn’t know what Ozpin wanted, but at this point what harm could there be in it?

“Come on Ren, I’m hungry!” Nora said, grabbing hold of Ren, before charging from the room. Pyrrha couldn’t resist a slight smile. At least some things hadn’t changed.

“What did you want, Professor?” she asked.

“Actually, it’s Oscar who wanted to speak with you, if you don’t mind?” he replied.

Surprised, Pyrrha gave a cautious nod.

There was a brief flash of light in his eyes, and he spoke again.

“Hi, Miss Nikos? My name is Oscar Pine. I’m… I’m not bothering you, am I?” It was the same voice, and yet not. The cadence was wholly different, the voice now shy and youthful.

Pyrrha didn’t know what to make of it. What sort of existence was this?

“No… no you’re not,” she replied. “And please, call me Pyrrha.” She couldn’t restrain her curiosity. “Is he… _gone_?”

“No,” Oscar replied. “He can see and hear everything, the same way I can when he’s speaking.”

“Is that… frightening?” she asked. “To be an observer in your own body?”

“Yes,” he replied. “A little. But we don’t fight over it. He prefers that I be in the one in control, but recent events have often needed him.”

“I’m sorry,” Pyrrha said, fully meaning it. “If the training sessions are too much–”

“No, it’s okay,” he said. “There’s no one else who can train you. But I have a question, if that’s okay?”

“Go ahead, Oscar.”

“How did you know you were still _you_?”

Pyrrha found herself seized by a rush of memories, a flash of forgotten terrors. A vault, and its associated fears, almost buried by what followed.

“That’s…” she began, catching herself. “That’s a harder question than you might think.” She then looked at Oscar and saw his uneasiness. Saw it and realised. “Except it isn’t, is it? Not for you.”

“Over time, we’ll merge,” Oscar whispered. “What that means, I’m not sure.”

“You didn’t even get the _pretence_ of a choice, did you?” Pyrrha breathed in horror.

“Neither of us did,” said Oscar. “Ozpin has tried to reassure me that I won’t be lost. But I will be _changed_. We both will.”

“I wish I knew how I could help.”

“You could begin by answering my question,” the boy said, smiling weakly.

“Right. I’m sorry.” Pyrrha took a breath, thinking over the question. “I wasn’t sure at first,” she began. “Everything beforehand – my fear, the fall, that machine itself – was such a painful experience that I’m not sure I even knew beforehand. And when the machine had finished, I felt different, and yet the same. I remembered being the person who’d stepped into that device, but to what degree had I changed?

“And then I saw him. Saw his worry for me, felt my concern for him. I still loved him, had still chosen him. And I knew then that I was myself.”

“But then…?” Oscar asked awkwardly.

“Then Cinder _murdered_ him.” Pyrrha spat, clenching her fists. “And in that moment, I realised so much of what I had believed prior to the fall was false. I think that would change anyone. But I was still myself. I still cared for him. I had to make that witch _pay_ , for him and for all the others she hurt. And _I_ chose to do that.” She looked at Oscar straight in the eye. “ _What_ we want, _who_ we care for, what we _choose_ to do about it; those are the things that define us.”

Oscar bit his lip, visibly mulling her answer over. “And you feel like that now?” he asked.

Pyrrha looked away pensively. “I still care about my friends,” she said after a moment. “And I still love him and miss him. But…”

“What is it?”

“But I'm no longer sure what I want.” Pyrrha said, hands waving. “I can’t have what I want! Cinder's dead, but it can't undo the bad she did! And now what am I good for? Who am I to be?” She looked again at Oscar with a more subdued expression. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure what I said helps you at all.”

“It’s okay,” Oscar replied. “It probably helps more than you realise. I’m sorry I can’t help you.”

“That’s fine, Oscar,” said Pyrrha. “I’m not expecting you to.”

“Still, I wish I could,” he said. “I hope you find something to want.”

“Thank you. I suppose we’d better get to lunch before Nora eats everything. You still need to eat, I assume?”

“Yeah, that’s not changing,” he said, chuckling.

“Come on then,” Pyrrha gestured, and they left to rejoin the others.

####  _Team RWBY’s Room_

Lack of action was wearing on Ruby. For months they’d trekked across the wilds, then trained and faced danger in the city itself, and finally fought for the academy itself. But that was days ago, and now she couldn’t help but feel they were trapped in some state of enforced inactivity.

“I’m bored,” she announced.

“You’re hyperactive,” Weiss replied. “I for one am glad for a chance to rest. And at least we’re in a room with proper beds again.”

“But we’ve had a week to rest!” said Ruby. “And now we’re stuck here!”

“We’re not stuck in this room, Rubes,” Yang, said, looking up from the desk on which her robotic arm was set. “Qrow just doesn’t want us leaving the campus while everything’s unsettled. And we’re all working on things right now. Why don’t you hang out with Team JNPR?”

“They’re busy training with Professor Ozpin again,” Ruby said. “We can’t meet up till later.”

“You could read?” suggested Yang, nodding over at Blake who was immersed in a book. “Didn’t you have a couple of comics?”

“I’ve read them,” Ruby answered. “And I can’t leave the campus to get more.”

“Sorry, Ruby,” Yang replied. “Let me finish up here and we can have look around. I can at least get the gunk out of this thing.” She turned to look at Blake. “Hey, where’s Sun?”

“Meeting his team,” Blake said, not looking up from her book. “They’re due to arrive in Mistral today, before term begins.”

“So Neptune will be here too, eh?” Yang said, with a sly grin aimed at Weiss.

“Yang, please. We’ve not had the chance to speak since the fall. That all feels like a very long time ago.”

“Okay, okay,” Yang said, hand aloft. “Still, it might be nice to see old faces.”

Blake’s face suddenly shot up from her book, ears twitching. “Oh no!” she whispered.

“What is it? Was it something I said?”

“No, it’s…” she pointed at the door. They turned and looked.

A black-headed corgi bounded into the room and gave an excited bark.

“ZWEI!!” Ruby squealed with joy. She scooped the dog up into her arms as he licked her face.

“Oh, aren’t you adorable!” Weiss rushed over, her usual demeanour forgotten. Yang joined them while Blake kept her distance.

“Oh, come on, Blake,” Yang said. “It’s just our dog. Although if he’s here…” she trailed off.

Ruby and Yang both looked at the doorway. A blonde man in brown cargo shorts and a tan shirt leaned against the door frame beside Qrow.

“Typical,” said Taiyang Xiao Long. “They say hello to the _dog_ first.”

“Dad!” Yang rushed over into his arms. Ruby joined them, still carrying Zwei.

“I’m glad to see you’re both okay,” he said. “You are okay, right?” He looked at Yang’s missing arm.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Yang replied. She nodded towards her desk. “A psycho broke the arm, but hopefully we can get it fixed.”

“I’m sure we can,” their dad said. He looked up at Weiss and Blake. “And these must be your teammates?”

“Blake Belladonna,” Blake introduced herself.

“Weiss Schnee. It’s a pleasure to meet you Mister Xiao Long,” Weiss said formally.

“Please, just call me Tai,” he replied. He looked back at his daughters. “It’s good to see your team all came back together,” he said smiling, though Ruby could see a hint of sadness in his blue eyes. The same look Uncle Qrow got sometimes.

“What are you even doing here?” Yang asked, “We’re a long way from Patch.”

“Well, _someone_ ,” Tai said, looking at Qrow, “had the Mistral Council send an airship for me last week. We’ve got to talk more about what that _someone_ wants, but I couldn’t turn down a chance to see my girls.”

“It’s good to see you too, Dad,” Ruby said, one arm on him, another still wrapped beneath the corgi she carried.

“Always,” he said with a squeeze. He held the embrace for a few seconds, before slowly letting go. “I’ve got to head to the headmaster’s office now, but you’ll make time for your old man afterwards, right?”

“Sure Dad,” Yang said.

“Can Zwei can stay with us?” Ruby asked.

Tai rolled his eyes as the corgi gave a playful bark.

“Of course he can. I’ll see you girls shortly.”

####  _Headmaster’s Office_

“You want me to become headmaster?”

“You must have figured something was up, what with the council giving you a flight?” said Qrow.

“Well, yes. But I meant what I said back there; I came here to see my daughters.”

“And technically we’re wanting you to become _deputy_ headmaster,” Ozpin added.

“For a few days! Then acting headmaster! What’s the issue with Lionheart anyway?”

“He betrayed us,” Ozpin said flatly.

“What?!”

“He sold out many of Mistral’s huntsmen to Salem’s agents, including Haven’s teachers. He helped them attack the school in an attempt to grab the relic. Oh, and he’s the one who smuggled her agents into Beacon,” Qrow explained.

“No!” Tai said, appalled.

“You see why we need you,” said Ozpin. “We can’t leave him here, but we have a distinct shortage of other candidates. Especially ones we can trust. I know we haven’t always agreed–”

“I’ll say. I didn’t want the girls involved! Not so young.”

Qrow cut in. “Unfortunately, Ruby’s little eye blasting act at Beacon put her on Salem’s agenda. She’d already sent an agent after her.”

Tai shook. “I guessed,” he said mournfully. “It’s why I let Yang go after her. Are they still after her?”

“That agent is thankfully dead,” Ozpin replied. “Although Salem’s bound to send more in time.”

“I feared this,” Tai said. “The moment I saw her eyes, they were just like her mother’s. I just hoped she’d had more time.”

“We all did,” Ozpin replied softly.

“Do they know?” asked Tai.

“About Salem?” Qrow said. “Yeah, they know. Pretty hard not to tell them, after all they’ve been through.”

“So, what now?”

Ozpin nodded at Qrow. “We’re going to Atlas. We’ll be taken Lionheart with us, and the relic. It’s no longer safe here.”

“And the girls?”

“They’ll have the choice, but I imagine they’ll want to see this through.”

“And you expect me to stay here? Away from both the girls and Patch?”

“I’ll look after the girls,” Qrow said. “And I’m sure Signal will survive without you.”

“It’s not Signal I’m worried about!” Tai shot back. “I’m worried about my daughters, and then on Patch… no… please, ignore that.”

“What is it, Tai?” Ozpin asked gently.

Tai sighed softly. “Well, there’s Summer’s grave. If I can’t stay with the girls, I don’t know how I feel about leaving it. Silly, really.”

“No, it isn’t Tai,” Qrow replied. “And I’m sorry. We wouldn’t ask this if there was another way. She’ll still be there when we return. All of us. I’ll bring the girls back.”

“We need someone in place to keep this academy open,” Ozpin added. “Without you, it’s entirely likely that Haven will shut. Lives, and possibly this entire kingdom, are depending upon the future huntsmen this academy can train. And there’s the students themselves: they need someone not only to teach them, but to look out for them.”

Tai grunted. He looked at Qrow. “You promise?”

“I won’t come back without them,” Qrow vowed.

“Okay, I’m in,” Tai said reluctantly. “I take it there’s a lot to sort out. Teachers for one thing?”

“We’ve made a few arrangements, but yeah, that’s something to work on,” said Qrow. “Once Leo steps down, we could also do with your help in keeping the current Fall Maiden out of jail. Plus, you’ll get to take part in the Council’s negotiations with the White Fang.”

Tai’s eyes went wide. “You’ve been busy,” he concluded.

“Hey, most of that wasn’t me,” Qrow replied. “Turns out I’m not the only crazy one around here. But we do need to clean up the mess.”

Tai let out a short laugh. “Figures. Well, at least I’ll be busy. So, why’s the relic not safe here? Did Lionheart track down the Spring Maiden?”

Qrow locked eyes with Ozpin, before looking back at Tai.

“In a manner of speaking,” Ozpin replied. “She opened the vault and left without closing it again.”

“Seems inconsiderate,” Tai laughed. “Who would even do that?” His laughter slowed as he saw Qrow’s grimace. “What is it?” he asked.

“Tai, I have bad news. Who do you know that would be _exactly_ that inconsiderate?”

The smile fell from Tai’s face as he grew pale. “No, Qrow… you can’t be saying… you can’t do this to me!” He snapped towards Ozpin. “Is this why you want me here? To deal with _her_?”

“No,” Ozpin said. “I'd like you to accept this role because you have experience teaching huntsmen, because you know what we face, and because you're one of the few people I can trust with the lives of these students. I’m not asking you to make contact with Raven. If it's any consolation, I don't think she'll seek out any contact with Haven's Headmaster.”

“Lionheart saw no sign of her in ten years, until very recently, and that's my fault.” Qrow added. “With the relic gone, there's no reason for her drop by.”

“You say that, but have you honestly seen no sign of her over the years? Or around Yang? I have, time and again; a raven mysteriously appearing or disappearing, a feather here and there. Gods, it happened again just a week and a half ago.”

Qrow glanced at Ozpin. “The timing would fit,” Ozpin offered.

“I found it hard enough that she left,” Tai continued. “But part of me just wishes she'd stay gone.”

“I don't think she knows what she wants herself,” Qrow said. “Yang had some words for her. You should ask her about it.”

“I am sorry to place you in this position, Tai,” said Ozpin. “But I'm not expecting you to entangle yourself with Raven.”

“She's the mother of one of my daughters, I'm already entangled!” Tai pointed out.

“You don't owe her squat, Tai. She left.”

“I know, Qrow. But it's... it's complicated.”

“Such things can be,” Ozpin said with a sigh. “Feelings can be mixed, feelings can linger long past when they should. But Qrow's right. We might hope Raven will rethink some of her life choices, but that's up to her. You don't have to sacrifice your own peace of mind where she's concerned.”

“If anything, it sounds like she’s more likely to visit here to check up on you.”

“Thanks, Qrow, that _doesn’t_ help,” Tai said. He took a breath and let it out loudly. “Well, at least she isn’t needed to guard the vault…”

The next few days had seen little change for Team JNPR. While the academy itself came back to life as students returned and the new acting headmaster busied himself, their routine had been little affected. With Pyrrha still technically in custody – not to mention guarding a valuable secret – they’d been kept out of the way of the returning students, with Team RWBY as their only social contacts. Pyrrha had been content to focus on training and recuperation for the time being, giving little thought to the future. Still, she knew that must change, and it came as little surprise when they found themselves all together in a meeting in the new headmaster’s office.

Pyrrha, Ren and Nora were sat in one group of seats, and Team RWBY in another. Behind the desk sat Ruby and Yang’s father, while Qrow leaned against the windowsill. Oscar – no, Ozpin, Pyrrha had learned to tell the difference – sat to one side.

“Enjoying the office, Dad?” Yang asked cheekily.

Tai scoffed. “It comes with a lot of strings,” he said. “Anyway, Qrow?”

“Firstly, some good news,” Qrow said. He looked at Pyrrha. “Officially, you’re free to go.”

“Officially?” Pyrrha asked, ignoring the playful thump from Nora.

“The matter’s dropped. The public story is that the Council got confused intel, that you were authorised by Beacon, and the whole thing’s been wrapped up as part of the amnesty negotiated with Khan. Unofficially, well you might want to avoid the public eye a little.”

“I can’t imagine I have many fans,” she said.

“You have more than you think,” Qrow said. “You just might want to avoid some of them too.”

Pyrrha froze. She’d braced herself for detractors, but _supporters_? She wasn’t sure which worried her more. What had her actions been twisted into in the public eye?

“In any case,” Ozpin said, “Salem knows who, and more importantly, what you are. Caution will have to be your watchword. Though that goes for many of us here.”

“She’s not going to jail, though, right?” Nora asked, pressing the point.

“Nah,” said Qrow. “On that front, we’re good.”

Pyrrha allowed herself to enjoy Nora’s hug this time, though she’d scarcely been as concerned by it.

“Which takes us onto the next matter,” Ozpin began. “With the vault unsealed, the relic cannot be left here. Nor can Leonardo. So we need to take it and him to Atlas.”

Everyone looked at Weiss.

“You have to be joking,” she said. “I just left!”

“Atlas has closed its borders,” Ren pointed out. “General Ironwood recalled all their forces. How would we be able to get in?”

“They’ve not recalled everyone,” Tai said. “The Atlesian military still has a base at Argus, to the north of here. It’s the principal trading port between Mistral and Atlas. If there’s a way in, it’s there. With any luck, and your prisoner in tow, you’ll be able to persuade the base commander to escort you directly to the General.”

 _Argus? My home?_ Pyrrha’s musings were interrupted by Ozpin.

“Miss Nikos, I would have had you travel with us anyway, but I believe you might have business in your hometown.”

She nodded numbly.

“The rest of you,” Opzin continued, “have a decision to make. You could come with us…”

“…Or you can stay here,” Tai said. “You’ve all done amazingly well for students who’ve barely finished a year in an academy. But you are all still trainees. You can stay at Haven and finish your training. Places can be found for you, I guarantee it.” He looked around the entire room, although his glance lingered longest on Ruby and Yang.

“We’re sticking with Pyrrha,” Nora said without hesitation, a nod from Ren confirming their choice.

Qrow laughed. “Told you,” he said to Ozpin.

Ozpin simply turned to team RWBY with an enquiring eyebrow.

Ruby spoke first. “Thanks for the offer, Dad. I’m sure Haven would be great, especially now they have Zwei to be a mascot. But I already said I was in this till the end. And I am.”

“I’m with Ruby,” Yang added before grinning. “Plus, I can get my arm sorted out.”

“As much as returning to Atlas wasn’t on my agenda, I’m committed too,” Weiss said. “Blake, you weren’t with us when we agreed.”

“But I am now,” Blake said. “I appreciate the offer, but I want to stick with my team.”

Tai nodded. If he felt any disappointment, he managed to hide it well. “Very well. Girls, stay safe. Listen to your uncle. Except when he tells you to do something stupid.”

“Hey!” Qrow protested as the others laughed.

“When do we leave?” Ren asked as the laughter subsided.

“In a few days,” Ozpin answered. “Now we’ve resolved other matters, time is of the essence. We must get the relic to safety as quickly as possible.”

“What does it do?” Pyrrha asked, “the relic I mean. You’ve said it’s powerful, but not what it actually does.”

Ozpin unclipped the relic from Oscar’s belt, and set it on the headmaster’s desk. It grew slightly, and the blue and gold lamp floated above the table.

“It grows?” asks Ruby. “Floats?”

“Minor attributes,” said Ozpin. “It resizes itself according to the proportion of whoever’s carrying it. But its true power is far more wonderful and dangerous. The Relic of Knowledge can answer any question asked of it.”

“Intriguing…” Ren said, trailing off in awe.

“Any question?” Pyrrha asked more brusquely.

“There’s a few limitations,” Ozpin admitted. “It cannot answer questions about the future. And it can only answer three questions every century.”

“That’s a lot of pressure to ask the right question,” Yang added.

“What should we ask first?” Nora asked eagerly. “Should we have a vote?”

Ozpin chuckled. “I’m afraid you won’t be able ask anything at the moment. The questions were all used before I sealed it away.”

“Aw,” Nora said in disappointment.

Everyone else sat silently for a moment, gazing on the relic, before Ruby spoke up. “Well, we know what it does now. I guess the important thing is to keep it safe.”

####  _Mistral Central Station_

Mistral Central Station was a busy transportation hub, connecting Mistral to towns throughout the kingdom. The trains were serviced by a dozen platforms, while the main hall was filled with waiting passengers on the main floor and the level above.

Blake briefly looked down from one of the walkways, to see Ruby, Yang and Weiss standing by the central fountain, one featuring a statue bearing the two-headed serpentine image of a King Taijitu. Ruby was waving some bag from a gift shop in excitement. Blake chuckled briefly.

She looked back up. “So, you’re staying here?” she asked.

“Yeah,” said Sun. “Seeing you with your team, I realise I’ve also got to look after my own. The boys have been giving me stick for leaving them alone for so long. They need their leader, just like you need your team. But I’ve got a feeling you’ve not seen the last of me.”

“I hope not,” said Blake, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He blushed and smiled, before glancing awkwardly to the side.

Blake turned to see her parents, her father glaring at Sun.

“I’d… better get going,” Sun said. He clasped Blake’s hand. “Good luck, and I’ll see you,” he said, before making a rapid exit.

Ghira said nothing, but Kali giggled.

“Mom, Dad, sorry I have to go,” Blake said.

“That’s okay, my dear,” Kali said, drawing Blake into her arms. “We’re proud of you. Go do whatever you have to do. Just make sure you come back.”

“I will,” she said, letting go so she could hug her father.

“We mean it, Blake,” he said. “Remember we love you, and you’ll always have a home with us.”

“Thanks Dad,” she whispered. They held the hug for a moment, before Blake broke it.

“I ought to–”

“If I could interrupt,” another voice said.

Blake turned, to see Sienna Khan behind her.

“Sienna?!” she said in surprise.

“I thought I’d see you off as well,” she said. “It’s been… refreshing, working with you again. All of you.” She glanced at Ghira and Kali.

“Thank you,” Blake said, with mixed feelings.

“I have a favour to ask,” Sienna said. “I’ve already checked with Ghira and Kali, but you’re the one to do it if you agree.”

“What is it?” Blake asked with some trepidation.

“I’d like you to take this letter,” Sienna said, drawing out an envelope. “And deliver it into the hand of General Ironwood.”

Blake looked at the letter in some shock and glanced at her parents. Ghira nodded.

“We’ve seen it,” he said.

“But a message to General Ironwood? To Atlas?"

“The world is changing,” Sienna explained. “Or perhaps some things haven’t changed; they simply appear in a different light. In any case, we still need to avoid war. Negotiations with Mistral can only be the start if I’m to avoid what Adam started. And despite prior… disagreements, it appears we and General Ironwood have a mutual enemy after all.”

Blake took the envelope but looked at it as if it might suddenly burst into flame.

“Besides, with the dust embargo and the border closure, I can’t imagine he has many friends at the Schnee Dust Company at present,” Sienna added with a smirk. “Perhaps I simply appreciate the irony.”

“Okay,” she said, still faintly stunned.

“Go join your friends, dear,” Kali said. “It’s almost time.”

“Where are the others?” asked Ruby eagerly, hands still clutched around her bag. “It’s almost time to go!”

“Blake’s just on her way,” Yang said, waving at one of the walkways. “And Uncle Qrow and Oscar are securing Lionheart. Haven’t seen JNPR though.”

“There,” Weiss nodded.

Ruby turned and looked.

“Some old lady?” she asked in confusion.

“No, behind her,” Weiss said.

“Some snobby lady?” Ruby said, increasingly puzzled.

“Ruby,” Weiss sighed, pinching her nose. “Look at that aristocrat’s _maid_!”

Ruby looked and realised. While dressed as a maid, there was no mistaking Nora Valkyrie once you saw her.

“Dang,” Yang said. “Since when has Pyrrha been so good at costumes?”

“Since she had to be, I guess,” Weiss answered.

“We thought it best,” Qrow added, joining the group. “Better to leave without any public attention. Valkyrie’s enjoying dress-up a bit too much, but no one’s looking for _her_. You can catch up with them once we’re all on board.”

“Everything okay, Uncle Qrow?” Yang asked.

“Yeah, our luggage is stowed in our rooms, and our ‘travelling companion’ is place too. The train’s huntsmen are real bozos though. The Argus Limited must be really scraping the bottom of the barrel to get those two.”

“I guess they haven’t got much choice,” Ruby said. For all the good they’d done, there were a lot of huntsmen they hadn’t saved.

“Hey, Kobe was alright,” Qrow said. “Maybe I should mention him to Tai in case he needs more teachers.”

“Mention who?” asked Taiyang, joining them.

“Dad!” Yang and Ruby greeted him.

“I didn’t know if you’d be able to see us off,” Ruby said.

“I couldn’t let my girls go without seeing them off; I’m not _that_ busy. But you were saying, Qrow?”

“Kobe Flynn, Shion’s huntsman. Ruby and I worked with him when we evacuated the town. Had a decent head on his shoulders and knew what he was doing. If you’re looking for teachers, you could do worse.” Qrow glanced back towards the platform. “You could do a lot worse.”

“I’ll consider it,” Tai said. “In the meantime, I have something more important to do.” He took hold of Ruby and Yang and wrapped them in his arms.

“Ruby, Yang, it’s been so good to see you both,” he whispered. “Take care of each other, and come back safe. I love you both.”

“We love you too, Dad,” Ruby said softly.

“Yeah, we love you,” said Yang. They all held on for a second before letting go.

“Our time’s nearly up,” Weiss reminded them.

“Be good, girls, and I’ll see you,” Tai said.

“We will!” Ruby said enthusiastically, before speeding away, pulling Weiss with her.

Yang rolled her eyes, “I’ll see you, Dad,” and followed, shouting out as she was intercepted by Blake.

Tai looked on fondly, before turning to Qrow. “You promised, remember?”

Qrow clapped his hand on Tai’s shoulder. “Yeah, I remember. Honestly, there’s no chance of me forgetting that one.”

####  _The Argus Limited_

Pyrrha stared out the window at the passing landscape, looking but not really seeing. For all the speed with which the train was moving through the wilderness, it made little noise. Their cabin likewise was fairly roomy, with two bunks to either side of the windows. It was comfortable, but that made little impression on her mind.

She heard the cabin door slide open and jerked towards the sound. Ren slipped in.

“Qrow, Oscar and Lionheart are in the cabin behind us,” he said. “And Team RWBY are in the room after them.”

She nodded. She’d taken off the wig and hat that’d been part of her disguise but had yet to take the rest off. If she felt it was probably best to remain under cover if she was struck by the impulse to wander the train. She glanced across to the other bunk where Nora sat. She’d had enough fun with disguises and had changed back into her usual gear.

“So, you’re from Argus, right?” Nora asked.

“I am,” Pyrrha answered.

“Are we going to meet anyone you know?”

“I didn’t have many friends,” Pyrrha confessed, although this wasn’t news to them. She’d told them of the pedestal. “But there’s my mother.”

“Are we going to meet her?!” Nora asked in excitement. Pyrrha supposed that for Nora, family was an exciting thing. A reminder that some had been touched by grief far earlier than she had.

“Yes,” Pyrrha replied with a small smile. “I don’t know what plans the others are making, but we can stay with her.”

“Us too?”

“Yes Nora, all three of us.” Pyrrha assured her, before the smile became a frown, not at the thought of her teammates staying with her family, but that it should be three and not four.

“How do you feel about seeing her?” Ren asked, breaking the thought.

“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “My mother was always… proud of my achievements. But I don’t know what she’ll make of recent events.”

“We’re with you, Pyrrha. Whatever happens,” Nora said more softly.

“Thank you,” Pyrrha said. “And I with you.”

They spent some time idly chatting, Pyrrha occasionally sharing details about Argus, as the countryside outside sped by. Snow now covered the ground, while the trees were now the conifers of a northern forest. The scenery increasingly reminded Pyrrha of the town she’d left behind.

She was jolted out of her reveries as the train lurched.

“What was that?!” she yelled.

The train shook, and several passengers screamed. Nora leapt to the window, attempting to peer outside. Ren opened the cabin door to look the other way.

“I can’t see anything!” Nora reported.

“I think it’s Grimm,” said Ren. “I just saw Qrow and Team RWBY running towards the back with their weapons.”

“Quickly!” Pyrrha called, pulling out her luggage. Only to see the fragments of Miló waiting for her. _Right_. She reached for Crocea Mors instead, as damaged as the shield was.

“Er… Pyrrha,” Nora said. “You’re not really dressed for the occasion.”

Pyrrha looked down, to realise she was still clothed in the garb of some noblewoman.

She turned, to realise the other two were ready, Stormflower and Magnhild in hand.

“Fine, I’ll get changed, you go ahead!” she ordered. As they left, she huffed in frustration. She turned back towards her gear, pulling out her armour.

With a shudder, multiple clangs rang through the train. Bars slid across the windows as the train’s defensive systems were activated.

Qrow had reached the top of the roof just in time to see one of the train’s huntsmen get plucked off the train by one of the attacking Grimm.

“Dee!” his companion screamed, before running towards the front of the train, tapping on some display.

Manticores swooped around the train, while a Sphinx had landed near the back. Qrow pulled out Harbinger, switching it to its scythe mode. He swung at a swooping Manticore, stabbing into it as its weight carried it forward. He was flung onto his back, but as the corpse of the beast dissolved, he stood once more.

“Yes!” he heard over the wind and turned to see the other huntsman pump his fist. Through his feet he could feel armour plating snap into place as the train’s defences came online. Turrets emerged from the top of the carriages and began firing on the flying Grimm. They were decent too; the turrets cutting down several Manticores. But there were more Grimm, and rather than backing off in the face of the assault, they turned on the turrets.

Qrow launched himself against the Sphinx, dodging a paw as it brought it down to crush him. He dodged the blow, struck out with his Scythe. He caused some damage, but not enough to seriously wound the creature. Turrets on the carriages behind it opened fire, and it roared. In response, two more Manticores flew down. One dived into one turret, tearing it asunder with its claws. The second Manticore spat a fireball, blowing another turret apart.

Those defences weren’t going to be enough.

“Qrow, what can we do?” Nora said as she and Ren joined them on the top of the train, Nora pausing to fire her grenade launcher at a passing Grimm. Qrow quickly checked around: Team RWBY were already engaged against the Manticores swooping around; the Sphinx was still in place. The train’s remaining huntsmen was fighting nearer the front, near some working turrets, but the Manticores were swarming.

“Maybe get him to switch off the remaining turrets,” he said, pointing at the huntsman. “That way we can try and keep the Grimm focused on the back of the train.”

The Grimm flying around them suddenly backed off, and the Sphinx launched itself from the train into the air.

“What are they doing?” Nora asked.

Qrow looked around, searching for an answer. As he turned round, he saw it.

“Tunnel!” he yelled.

As the others scrambled for the side of the train, he saw the huntsman up ahead turn and run for the ladder. He made it just in time. Mostly.

Qrow, accompanied by Team RWBY and Ren and Nora, ran into the train car in which the remain huntsman was slumped, groaning in pain as he cradled his arm.

Ren crouched beside him, examining the arm.

“I think it’s broken,” the huntsman gritted out.

Ren checked the arm carefully. “I think you’re probably right,” he said soothingly. “Weiss?” he nodded towards a box just behind where she stood. She passed him the first aid pack as he attempted to do what he could.

“You, what’s your name?” Qrow asked the huntsman curtly.

“Dudley,” the huntsman groaned.

“Well, Dudley. We need to switch off the turrets.”

“Those things are keeping us alive!”

“They’re also drawing the attention of the Grimm to the other cars. If they’re off, perhaps we can keep them tied up at the back.”

“I don’t know if that’ll work,” Weiss commented. “They came on us before, and now the passengers are terrified.”

“How long is this tunnel?” Ruby asked.

“A few minutes,” Dudley said. “It’s long, but not that long.”

“Ren, what about your semblance?” asked Nora. “If we switch the guns off, and you mask everyone on this train, the Grimm might lose track of us.”

Ren shook his head. “I can’t cover more than a handful of people. There’s no way I can cover the entire train.”

“And I’m afraid that wouldn’t work anyway,” said a voice from the doorway to the next car. They turned to see Ozpin standing there, Lionheart in tow.

“She’s come for me,” Lionheart muttered.

“No, she hasn’t,” Ozpin said curtly. He looked back at the others. “There’s a complication. The Grimm are also attracted to this,” he explained, gesturing to the relic on his hip.

“What… what’s that?” asked Dudley.

“None of your business,” Qrow barked. “Oz, are you serious?”

“Why wouldn’t you tell us something like this?!” Yang demanded.

“That doesn’t matter right now!” Ruby said, cutting off Ozpin. “We’ll discuss this later, but we’ve got to stop these Grimm first! Could we divide the train, take the relic with us, and allow the other passengers to go on without us?”

“That won’t work,” Blake pointed out. “They’ll follow the fear of the passengers now, and Ren said he can’t cover more than a couple. We need some way to stop these Grimm now.”

Qrow came up empty. He looked at the others, but was met with silence, filled only by the noise of the train and the cries of the passengers in the other cars.

“I can stop them,” another voice said.

Lionheart started and turned, then almost yelped as he saw who was standing behind him. Pyrrha simply glared as she strode into the car, in her armour once more, scarlet cloak wrapped around her.

“What?” Qrow blurted.

“Send me onto the roof. I can stop them,” Pyrrha suggested.

“Pyrrha, don’t be crazy!” said Weiss. “I know you’re capable, but… We might be able to fight them all off together, but not without damage to the train.”

“I can do it,” Pyrrha insisted, staring at Ozpin.

He looked back at her. “She can,” he said, after a few seconds. “Very well, Miss Nikos.”

“You’re going to let her go up alone?” cried Weiss.

“Not alone,” Nora said firmly, grabbing Pyrrha’s shoulder and giving her a challenging look.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Pyrrha replied with a slight smile. “I could do with some help getting onto the roof.”

“I can mask us going up the ladder,” Ren said. “Even keep us covered on the roof if we don’t have to move too much.”

“No, once on the roof I need you to stop masking me,” Pyrrha ordered. “Once we’re clear of the tunnel, we’ll go up. Cut the turrets then,” she told the others.

“Pyrrha, you don’t have a weapon,” Ruby pointed out.

"I won't need one,” she said.

Nora clambered up the ladder first, Ren between them where he could cover them both with his semblance. The wind rushed past them, snowflakes filling the air, as the train sped on. And then they heard the cries of the Grimm.

As Pyrrha pulled herself onto the roof she found both Ren and Nora with their weapons poised. The turrets fell silent, but the flock of Manticores swooped down at the train anyway. The Sphinx screeched and landed once more near the end of the train, causing the whole vehicle to shudder.

Pyrrha nodded at Ren and felt the full flow of her emotions flood back.

The Grimm screamed, and Pyrrha heard Nora open fire. Pyrrha closed her eyes, drawing on the power within her, and opened them once more. Lightning began curling from her fingers. A short bolt struck a passing Manticore, but it simply roared in anger.

“Pyrrha, we're going to need you to do your thing...” Nora yelled over the noise. Ren opened fire with Stormflower as another Manticore flew past.

Pyrrha could feel it, that impediment once more. She could sense the power that was almost in reach, almost in touch of her fingers.

She tried her anger once more. Her feelings over Jaune’s murder, over the death of so many, at those who done such bad. She thought of Cinder, but then felt hollow. She’d killed Cinder, taken back the Maiden powers, but that couldn’t erase her failure, didn’t wipe away her mistakes. She’d failed them all. For all her efforts, bad could not be wiped away.

A red leaf whipped past her head, carried past the train. For a moment she was caught by her memories. She thought of Forever Fall, when he’d first lived up to being the man she knew he could be. She thought also of that bittersweet, destiny-laden conversation outside the cafeteria, at the beginning of that terrible day. She thought of him, of her failure to save him, and despaired.

And then she felt a thought, running through her mind, almost as a caress.

_You didn’t fail me. You believed in me; saved me; saw what the world couldn’t see._

_And I believe in you._

She closed her eyes once more. She pondered on the red fall leaf, the truth that lay within. The old leaves are shed, so that the new might come. The Autumn was a witness that seasons pass. Fall was the season of change.

Bad had happened. But did one need to be defined by them, trapped forever more? Did evil need be in place forever more, or could it too be a passing season, and good come in its place?

Others need not be struck by loss. Good could come to people.

And a Maiden had the _power_ to make that happen.

She didn’t have to deny her loss; but it need not leave her broken, nor turn her into a source of terror. She could become what a Maiden is meant to be: not just a bearer of power, but a bringer of hope, a light in the darkness.

Her eyes opened once more, glowing with power, wreathed in red flame.

Thunder crackled from her hands. The wind picked up around them.

"Hold on to something," she called out.

She threw her arms back, her hands open, lightning breaking across her palms.

Clouds rushed in overhead as the wind began to howl, as she stood in the eye of the storm.

“Holy...!” Nora gasped.

A bolt from heaven rent the sky asunder.

Ruby looked back at the passengers. Some were huddled together, away from the windows, while others couldn’t help but peer through the bars at the outside. She could hear the fearful whispers, the soft cries.

A bright flash lit the windows, followed instantly by an overwhelming crack of thunder. Some screamed in alarm, others burst into tears, but more flashes followed, thunder roaring overhead.

“No, wait!” cried one of the few still looking out the window. “The storm, _it’s killing the Grimm!_ ”

Ruby dashed to the nearest window to catch a glimpse. She had to avert her eyes as another bolt flashed past but looked back to see the evaporating smoke of a dead Manticore fall behind the train.

“We’re saved,” another passenger whispered. Ruby looked around the car, saw the mood change in front of her, as others joined those looking through the windows. Terrified murmurs turned to calls of relief and joy. Even a few cheers could be heard as the passengers began to rejoice.

The storm died away, as quickly as it’d come, before Team JNPR came back down the ladder. Nora was down first, slowly carrying Pyrrha over her shoulder. Qrow and Blake helped pull Pyrrha in, before Nora and Ren followed, eyes glued to Pyrrha.

“Is she okay?” Weiss asked, alarmed.

“I’m… I’m just very tired,” Pyrrha whispered faintly, unable to move her limbs.

“She’s right,” Ozpin said. “It’s just exhaustion. Given rest, she’ll recover. Mister Ren, Miss Valkyrie, I’m sure we can leave you to get her back to your room?”

“Of course,” Ren replied, taking hold of Pyrrha beneath her shoulders, while Nora lifted her knees. “It’s okay, Pyrrha. We’ve got you.” They made their way out of the cabin.

“What just happened?” asked Blake.

“That… that is the power of a Maiden, Miss Belladonna,” Ozpin declared.

As the others filtered out of the car, Qrow looked at Ozpin, to see a tear in his eye.

“What is it, Oz?” Qrow couldn’t help himself.

“As I’ve said before, I’ve made many mistakes,” Ozpin said. “Some very recently, including where Miss Nikos is concerned. But choosing _her_ … choosing her was not one of them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: Thank you again for all the reviews and comments. There’s now just one chapter to go!


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